Challenger: Return to Kanto (Fictionalised Nuzlocke Novel)
by alexbrowne92
Summary: War rages between Kanto and Johto with Team Rocket and their leader Giovanni secretly holding the former region within their corrupt and oppressive grasp. The Rocket Resistance led by Erik, Leaf, Blue and Wally must form an alliance with the mysterious 'Servants' as they vie to expose and overthrow Giovanni's tyrannical rule knowing that certain defeat and failure awaits them.
1. Chapter Schedule

Challenger is a highly fictionalised novel of my nuzlocke run through Pokemon: FireRed featuring a whole new story, many new characters and events. Every Pokemon that died in my run will die at around the same point in the story but not necessarily in the same battle as many trainer fights have been cut to give the narrative more focus.

The goal of Return to Kanto is to be a Pokemon story which is darker, grittier and grounded in reality. I shall post one or two chapters every week (apart from one in October) and follow a strict schedule to ensure the novel is fully posted before Christmas, the Chapter titles and dates for released are shown below:

Chapter One – Rocket Resistance (August 2nd - 4th)  
Chapter Two – Announcement (August 6th - 8th)  
Chapter Three – A New Leaf (August 9th - 11th)  
Chapter Four – Metal Monster (August 16th - 18th)  
Chapter Five – Identity (August 23rd - 25th)  
Chapter Six – Expedition (August 30th - September 1st)  
Chapter Seven – Bill's Fortress (September 6th - 8th)  
Chapter Eight – Rescue (September 13th - 15th)  
Chapter Nine – Silver and Stone (September 20th - 22nd)  
Chapter Ten – The Incident (September 27th - 29th)  
Chapter Eleven – Negotiation (October 4th - 6th)  
Chapter Twelve – Survivors (October 18th - 20th)  
Chapter Thirteen – The Heiko Alliance (October 25th - 27th)  
Chapter Fourteen – All Out War (October 31st - November 1st )  
Chapter Fifteen – Past and Present (November 2nd - 6th)  
Chapter Sixteen – The Last Angel (November 8th - 10th)  
Chapter Seventeen – Where It All Began (November 15th - 17th)  
Chapter Eighteen – Tamer (November 22nd - 24th)  
Chapter Nineteen – Fate (November 29th - December 1st)  
Chapter Twenty – Sacrifice (December 6th - 8th)


	2. Rocket Resistance

Chapter One - Rocket Resistance

Bitter winds ghosted through a depressed city, snaking between stark buildings constructed of brick and mortar. Viridian City submerged itself within nature, its dull hues set against a background of green as rolling grasslands canvassed the southern trails and dense forests towered both to the north and the east.  
Black clouds had wrested control of the skies from the sun and imprisoned the light within their cheerless embrace, the menacing gloom rendering a hopeful morning grim.

Leaves softly rustled in the breeze, lightly dancing in tune with one another above Erik's head as branches creaked and groaned in a fragile symphony. He stood on the precipice of Viridian's eastern forest, concealed within the treeline alongside his three comrades of war. A deafening silence had washed over the quartet, each young trainer as anxious as the other as a sense of foreboding strangled their emotions.

Erik studied their target building and tried to memorise each detail of the structure from its plain, white stone walls and the scarcely present narrow windows to a small crimson-coloured door. An oaken sign proceeded the building, clearly stating in bold font, "Kanto Test Centre".

"Can we go through the plan one more time please?" Wally enquired. The trainer from Hoenn appeared visibly nervous, clutching anxiously to the yellow facemask by his side with one hand as he twitched at his lime-green hair with the other. "And can you tell Blue to stop bullying Green?"

"I can't help it," replied the man in question. His chestnut-brown eyes matched the colour of his hair, which was short and messy. He wore a leather jacket and jeans, blue in colour as was the instruction. "Look at Leaf over here, no wonder her parents called her that she's shaking like a Leaf!"

"Codenames please," Leaf replied, her usually assured voice laced with apprehension. Erik had noticed Blue taking a shine to her, with Leaf's light brown skin and dark, fluffy hair possibly alluring the carefree trainer, or maybe he simply was just a bully. Although Leaf exerted noticeable signs of irritation, Blue appeared either not to realise, or not to care. "You're Blue," the female trainer continued. "Erik's Red, Wally is Yellow and I'm to be called Green. It's why we have have masks and clothes of that colour, to disguise us."

"Nah," Blue retorted, waving a hand as if to push away the suggestion. "I think I will call you 'Leaf'. Besides, we are only wearing these masks and calling ourselves colours 'cos it's funny."

"And for disguise," Erik repeated Leaf's assertions, ailing in his attempts to display his authority. He had assumed the role of leader within the self-styled "Rocket Resistance" since the group had landed upon the shores of Kanto six months ago. He felt his tightened muscles relax as he recalled the other passengers aboard Mr. Briney's pearl-white yacht; The old sailor himself had returned to his native Hoenn after his passengers had disembarked, resuming a well-earned retirement. News reporters Gabby and Ty had also journeyed with the company, hastily using their contacts within the global media to land employment at "Kanto National News". Their roles as lead reporters for the network were but a guise to harvest information from the Rocket-owned media outlet. Wally had joined him on the boat, as did Leaf who had called herself Cecilia back in those days. She was born 'Leaf Fuguri', but decided to change her name when she had left her home province of Johto and travelled to Hoenn, hoping to assume a new life with a new name. After returning to Kanto she had decided to resume her birthname, Leaf, so that her parents would hear of any successes she had whilst on Kanto's land.

The final passenger, Erik's own mother Caroline, spent her son's monetary winnings for becoming Pokemon Champion of Hoenn on a modest home nestled neatly within the humble hamlet of Pallet Town for both herself and Erik to live. The household rapidly became the Rocket Resistance's base of operations in Kanto, before the group swiftly allied themselves with a powerful local figure, Professor Oak.

Kanto still bore Rocket's dictatorial ruleset. Trainers remained officially prohibited from the region despite a growing uproar, and Pokemon captured outside of Kanto were outlawed from use, forcing Erik and Wally to arrive empty handed. Leaf's Pokemon had perished at the beaches during the "Battle of Hoenn", a fierce fight in which Rocket forces engaged Hoenn in an attempt to capture the region, failing as the defenders pushed them back to Kanto. The result of this left the Rocket Resistance with no fighting Pokemon to their names.

Before long, hopeful rumours had crept through Pallet Town and pricked Erik's ears. Whisperings from neighbours had informed him that Professor Oak, a renowned researcher of western Kanto and owner of the Pokemon laboratory, felt dissatisfied with Team Rocket's tyrannical rule of the region.

"So Erik?" Wally's nervy voice carved through Erik's brief moment of reminiscence. "Are you going to go through the plan again?"  
"It's easy," Blue barged in, his know-it-all tone and egotistical demeanour irritating even Erik. "We go in, blow stuff up, kidnap Giovanni's son, and get out of there."

"You make it sound so simple," Leaf snapped sarcastically before rolling her eyes.

"We act natural," Erik said, speaking as if Blue hadn't uttered a word. "Entering the Test Centre as if we were to use it. We know Rocket's game, they own the facility, upping the pass requirements and offering anyone who fails the test a forged trainer's licence in exchange for joining the gang. Everyone knows that trainers will be permitted again in Kanto any day now so a lot of people are taking their tests, and failing."  
"Which is why Giovanni has sent his own son in there, to oversee the process," Leaf realised, speaking with a gasp.

"Well caught up Leaf!" Blue taunted her. "Next you'll find out we're attacking this place because it's secretly ran by Team Rocket."

"Would you be quiet Blue!" she snapped back. "You're only here because your grandfather insisted you came along."

"Stop fighting please," Wally squeaked with no conviction at all.

"Stop," Erik echoed with rather more force. "Our goal is to locate, capture, and extract Giovanni's son whilst looking to hinder their operation in any way we can. You know, burning any forged licences or taking down any employed Rocket grunts."

"We should just burn the place down," Blue snarled.

"Then no one will be able to become a trainer you idiot," Leaf countered.

"What do we do with our 'target' once we have him?" Wally asked, attempting to shift the focus from the bickering duo and return it to the plan of action.

"Whilst we attack here and draw Rocket's attention, Archie, the head of Hoenn's armed forces, will be covertly lead-"

"Wow finally some help from Hoenn," Blue interrupted. "We've been attacking at Rocket supplies, grunts and facilities for months now on our own!"

"Archie struggled to gather an army, since Rocket were forced from Hoenn the whole government and regional structures needed reforming," Wally replied, as if repeating words he'd heard from someone back in Hoenn. "It took them six months to recruit enough trainers rather than the planned two. Most people wanted to help rebuild Hoenn or celebrate their newfound freedom at home."

"Archie will be covertly leading-" Erik spoke louder, as if to overshadow Blue. "An army raised in Hoenn to the southeastern shores of Kanto, landing at Fuchsia City and eliminating any resistance before Rocket have time to react."

"How's he going to sneak into Kanto without being caught? And won't Rocket just send everything they've got towards Archie?" Wally enquired skeptically.

"It's Archie," Leaf replied fondly. "A master of the seas."

"And to answer your second question," Erik added. "That's why we are capturing Giovanni's son, Silver. We will hold him at Pallet Town unbeknownst to Rocket and use him as a deterrent to a counter attack."

"You think that will stop them?" Blue said and rolled his eyes.

"It will delay them whilst they decide what to do, giving Archie time to fortify Fuchsia. The plan is to build barricades, lay down spike traps and all sorts to fully defend the cycle road to the west, whilst blowing the bridges over the giant lake that encompasses the east of the city. The Hoenn trainers' natural water superiority should make the south and east a cinch to defend."

"You'll still fail, Rocket's got too much manpower and resources." Blue crossed his arms stubbornly.

"All divided," Leaf caught on. "With us causing trouble in the west, the Hoenn army holding Fuchsia and the main bulk of the Rocket force still at war in Johto, we have a chance."

"No you don't," Blue spoke with a mocking tone. "What's the plan after that, to just sit in Fuchsia?"  
"That's for Archie and I to know," Erik replied with a knowing wink to Leaf, who returned a smile.

"Can we talk about the here and now?" Wally interrupted, anxiety firmly grasping his body and causing his features to twitch as if volts of electricity flowed through his veins. "What do we know about Giovanni's son? And why are we wearing masks and calling ourselves colours like him?"

"Because-" Erik started.

"Because it's funny," Blue interrupted, repeating his earlier comment.

"Blue stop cutting in," Erik snapped. "It's not like your name of 'Blue' isn't similar to 'Silver'. Your grandfather gave you some Pokemon for us to use, care to hand them out?"

"Jeez, calm down, just having a laugh," Blue said, his face forming an expression as if he'd just been struck. The young hotshot trainer from Pallet Town unclipped three Pokeballs one at a time from his belt, rolling them to each Resistance member.

"Because," Erik continued answering Wally's earlier question whilst casting anticipating glances over to Blue, awaiting a snide comment that never came. "Silver is Giovanni's only son, his lone heir. He's known to be irrational and prone to fits of rage, if we mock him by calling ourselves after him, wearing masks like he does and being constant thorns in his side, we can get to him. And if we get to Silver we get to Giovanni."

"I never knew Giovanni had a son," Leaf pondered, as a Pokeball rolled towards her, landing with a bump on her foot.

"Silver has spent most of his life underground, out of the public eye," Erik responded, picking up the Pokeball that had landed at his feet and studying the capsule. "Rumours are that Courtney is his mother, but the timing is all wrong. Other rumours say one of Giovanni's many flings ended with a son, no one really knows."

"We've spent six months finding out all we can on Rocket and still know nothing about them, apart from Giovanni is there leader, which no one else in Kanto seems to realise for some reason, and that Courtney and Silver are his two most trusted allies," Blue whined, receiving a glare from Leaf in response.

"No one realises because Giovanni is always seen alongside the governor of Kanto, he's a well known public figure," Leaf said excitedly after a momentary silence. "When Rocket gangs terrorise the region he makes sure to always be seen next to the governor, in his role of 'Foreign Minister'."

"He always seems to be in two places at once," Blue mumbled. "Even I don't fully believe that he leads them."

"Why does Silver wear the mask?" Wally asked, progressing the conversation as he released the Pokemon from inside his Pokeball. A Pikachu bounced out, her energetic demeanour brightening up the dim day.

"Like everything else to do with Rocket, we don't know," Blue said sarcastically, shaking his head and folding his arms once more.

"No one knows," Erik corrected him. "I think it's for intimidation, that's why his voice sounds deep and mechanical, he has a voice filter attached underneath."

"Weirdo," Leaf chimed, as a Bulbasaur emerged from her own Pokeball. "It's cute!" she almost squealed, before remembering the need to not bring attention to themselves. "I'm going to call him Dino."

"Why do you nickname your Pokemon? They're not your friends, they're your warriors," Blue spat out, before casting a glance to the Squirtle from his own Pokeball.

"She does it because I do," Erik responded, after deciding to name his Charmander, 'Inferno'. "It creates deeper bonds between you and your Pokemon. Remember, Blue, that the most powerful trainers create the strongest bonds between themselves and their 'friends', no matter the type or the species."

"Can we just get this over with," Blue said then sighed, his Squirtle curiously stroking his shell with an undersized blue paw. Dino galloped over towards Inferno, assessing his comrade with both sight and touch. Leaf's Bulbasaur examined the Charmander's orange frame, before moving towards his pale belly with vines, sprouting from the hefty seed affixed to his back. Inferno scowled uncomfortably, before flicking his tail at Dino, the flame secured to its tip narrowly avoiding Leaf's Pokemon.

"Let's go," Erik commanded his team, returning his newly acquired Pokemon into its capsule and marching out of the treeline like a soldier towards the battlefield. Adrenaline surged through his body as he emerged into Viridian City, his gaze firmly fixated towards Team Rocket's facility.

"Right behind you," Wally replied, as the masked comrades stalked the city, silently creeping along cobbled pavement towards the Test Centre. Once they had reached the building, Erik clasped Inferno's Pokeball, before pushing open the crimson front door.

A remarkable room was fronted by expensive glass tables lined with lavish mahogany chairs. Computer monitors lay dotted across the reception room, for the purpose of quick study by hopeful trainers-in-waiting. White stone walls lay decked with paintings of famous Pokemon trainers from the region, from Kanto Champion Lance posing elegantly to Gym Leaders Erika and Brock flashing their Pokemon licences. The reception had changed since Erik gained his licence here almost two years ago, it had transformed from a plain, simple entrance room, to an extravagant welcoming area.

"Welcome," a female receptionist mumbled tentatively as the four masked figures strolled into the room, their footsteps clapping off the tiled white floor. "Can I help you?" she followed, as her arms noticeably lowered from atop her desk.

"She's triggering a silent alarm!" Leaf blurted. She had used the facility rather more recently than Erik, obtaining her trainer's licence whilst performing some minor surveillance of the area just two months ago.

Erik threw his Charmander's Pokeball into the air, the fire-typed creature's emergence signalling to his three allies to release their Pokemon as a swarm of Rocket grunts flowed out of one of the many hallways branching out from the reception room.

"They've upped their security, Silver must be somewhere down that hallway," Leaf remarked as a score of grunts released their own Pokemon into the room. The receptionist launched two of her own Pokeballs, the capsules releasing a duo of Zubats to join fellow Rattata, Koffing and Grimer.

"You guys must be the so called 'Rocket Resistance'? There's only four of you?!" a grunt spoke as the opposing sides stood almost frozen in place, awaiting the other's first move.

"Get this over with quickly," Erik spoke to his team. "Before more show up."

"Squirtle!" Blue commanded his water-typed Pokemon. "Let's show them what we're made of!" His creature growled in response, before blowing away a Rattata with a water blast. Chaos ensued.

Erik struggled to keep up with the battle, he spotted Wally's Pikachu fry the receptionist's Zubats with electricity, before a ferocious Koffing smothered Leaf's Bulbasaur in toxic fumes. His own Pokemon, Inferno, launched flames at any and all foes who approached, engulfing a flailing Zubat in fire before igniting a Grimer. Erik switched his glance back to Leaf's Pokemon, who had now been saved by Blue's Squirtle. Wally's Pokemon had now engaged in quickfire combat with a Rattata, the small rodent like creature darting across a table in forlorn efforts to avoid oncoming electric bolts.

Turbulent seconds passed rapidly, until nothing but desolation remained. Thin streams of smoke swam through the air, emanating from scorch marks engraved on plain tiled floors and white stone walls. The reception area that had quickly become a warzone now featured glass tables splintered and smashed, wooden chairs toppled sideways and even a few computer monitors sparking on the ground. The grunts clad in hues of black and purple that had hurled their Pokemon at the masked quartet, in desperate but vain attempts to halt the intruders, were now fleeing en masse.

"Stop!" a deep voice boomed, reverberating off the walls of a hallway as it passed retreating Team Rocket grunts. "What is the meaning of this?!" the large man continued as he struggled into the reception room, his hefty frame jiggling with each strenuous step.

"Nigel." The name rang like a hiss in Erik's mind as he recognised the plump figure. Nigel was the chief examiner here at the Test Centre, a man whose very frame personified greed and corruption.

"I repeat," Nigel's deep voice echoed around the room. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Red? Wanna tell him or should I?" Blue asked Erik, who replied with a nod towards Inferno. Scalding flames burst from his Charmander, igniting Nigel's sandals resulting in a high-pitched squeal from the examiner.

"Get out of here," Erik said darkly. Nigel complied without question, the flaming sandals abandoned on the cold floor. "Think I took things a little too far?" he asked Wally, after feeling his companions accusing eyes check him, his voice remained cold.

"Erm.." Wally hesitated in his reply.

"It's just after..you know.." Leaf attempted to speak for Wally, but also found the words too difficult to come by without causing Erik direct offence.

"After what, Leaf?" Erik snapped coolly.

"Woah calm down Red," Blue said. "I only meant talk to the fat guy, but nevermind, you're the boss, boss."

"I want to know what Leaf was going to say," Erik continued, refusing to drop the subject.

"She meant that after, erm, May.." Wally spoke, before trailing off after saying the name of Erik's one-time lover.

"And your father, and your favourite Pokemon Blaze.." Leaf carried on, before Erik cut her off.

"Were all killed by Team Rocket, so what?" Erik's words were met by momentary silence. He knew that they weren't all killed solely by Rocket, it was mainly his own mistakes, but being able to focus his pain on one source was the only thing that allowed him to keep going.

"You've changed." It was Wally who spoke, although Erik could tell the young trainer dressed in yellow immediately regretted being the one to say it.

"You were always so bright and hopeful. You wanted to take down evil because you thought it was the right thing to do. You wanted to prove yourself to everyone, especially your dad," Leaf continued, causing anger to flare up within Erik, how dare she and Wally bring this up.

"Now you're just always angry, you don't care about anything other than revenge," Wally added.

"Can we do this later? Those Rocket lapdogs all ran off to the same place, that's where Silver will be. Let's get this done before backup gets here!" Blue raised his voice, diverting the trio's attention.

"For the first time in his life, Blue Oak has become the voice of reason," Erik thought to himself, finding the fact ironically humourous. "Fine. But this isn't over," he spoke aloud, casting resentful glances at both Wally and Leaf.

The Rocket Resistance recalled their Pokemon in unison, before picking up their pace as they jogged down the hallway. The corridor remained as it did all those years ago when Erik first took his test, in contrast to the luxurious reception room, the hallway remained plain. Claustrophobia reigned as white stone walls seemed to almost close in on them, the only escape being through one of few chestnut brown flimsy-looking doors. Most remarkably, there were no Rocket grunts in sight.

"Where've they all gone?" Erik asked as they reached the end of the hallway, to be met by another door.

"Isn't this a little too easy?" Wally added. "Like, wouldn't you expect more resistance?"

"They're all off fighting in Johto," Leaf said. "That's why they haven't struck at Hoenn yet, they're focused on Johto first."

"I guess the response teams have all been directed to Fuschia," Erik said and smiled. "This is all going better than expected. Hopefully Archie can hold up his end."

"We ready?" Blue chimed, Pokeball in hand as Red moved his hand to the door. Beads of sweat swam from his skin to soak the door knob, Erik felt almost dizzy with nervous anticipation, expecting to find a barricade of Rocket grunts acting as a shield to their leader within.

"We're ready," he replied, before twisting the knob and opening the door. He charged inside, Inferno's Pokeball held ahead of him like a weapon, his comrades close behind.

"Welcome, Rocket Resistance," boomed a mechanical voice as the quartet of trainers entered the room. A tall, slender man hulked at the far end of a stretched, narrow room. The walls were constructed of white tiles, bespeckled with small, round holes with what appeared to be two rectangular silhouettes carved into the tiles, one on either side of the room. The bright lighting and television screens either end of the room only added to the feeling of a test chamber, or a long, narrow padded cell.

"Silver," Erik said through gritted teeth, taking note of Giovanni's son appearing to be the sole occupant of the strange corridor-esque hallway. Silver was indeed intimidating with blood-red hair that flowed to his shoulders. He bore a coal black, leather jacket which clung to his body and appeared fireproof, with matching dark trousers. But most eerie was his infamous facemask, a mechanical horror firmly affixed to Giovanni's son, enveloping him from forehead to throat. The only human features on what he called his face were a thin line passing as lips, and his scarlet eyes which flared with perpetual rage.

"Erik," came the reply. The modifier attached to the throat section Silver's mask caused his voice's to deepen and amplify, sounding almost robotic as it bounced off the walls. "Blue Oak too. Then two I don't know. Nobodies."

Erik felt both Wally and Leaf tense behind him, he could sense their fear of the man. But to him, Silver was just that, a man, dressed up to frighten the weak.

"I don't like this, Red," Blue spoke in hushed tones. "There's no Rocket grunts around, got to be a trap."

"I sense your fear," Silver spoke as if he fed off the tension.

"You're done, Silver," Erik responded, moving forward.

"Red, wait!" Blue called after him, to no avail.

"Come, Erik, let us see who the better trainer is," Silver spoke as he rolled a Pokeball out of his sleeve, allowing it to fall into his hand.

"When you lose, you're coming with us," Erik growled, picking up the pace and almost jogging towards Silver, Inferno's Pokeball firmly clasped in his hand.

"It's over," Silver spoke as smoke began trickling from holes in the walls at the room's midpoint as Erik passed through. "The resistance ends here." Giovanni's son lifted a hand into the air, then swiftly swiped through the air as if he were signalling something.

Suddenly, fire flew from smoking holes in the walls, covering a portion of the corridor in thick swathes of flame and splitting the room in half, trapping Erik with Silver. The silhouettes in the tiled walls suddenly lowered, becoming doorways for a legion of Rocket grunts to pour out of, like blood from a fresh wound.

"Erik!" Wally screamed, pulling his Pikachu's Pokeball from his belt in self-defence as he caught sight of the Rocket Resistance leader trapped behind a dam of fire. Leaf and Blue joined him in releasing their Pokemon to battle against Zubat, Rattata, Koffing and Grimer.

"Just you and I, Silver," Erik hissed as he flicked his attention from his friends to his enemy.

Silver's response was silent, his glare so intense and filled with pure anger and hatred it caused even Erik to recoil slightly.

"Let's do this, Inferno," Erik whispered to his Pokeball before launching it, his Charmander emerging from within. Silver responded with a Pokemon of his own, an Abra, the amber coloured psychic creature's body featured yellow interiors and bore brown on both his shoulders and chest.

"You ready?" Silver taunted, before rolling another Pokeball out of his sleeve and releasing it, a Zubat. Before long Silver had rolled two more out his other sleeve, a Magnemite and a Gastly.

"Always," Erik responded, deciding whether he should order his Charmander to attack the ghostly ball of gas known as Gastly first, as it appeared the weakest, or to use his type advantage to positive effect on the spherical steel frame of Magnemite. The decision was wrenched from him.

A howl screamed from behind the flames, causing Erik to turn his head. Wally's Pikachu lay prone, a duo of Zubat greedily sucking at his lifeforce. Blue's Squirtle fared no better, having retreated inside his shell as a horde of Rattata smashed their fangs against the tough shield. Dino had retreated towards his trainer, protecting Leaf with vines, smacking away a score of Koffing and Grimer who eagerly approached.

A wave of heat crashed upon Erik's skin causing him to rapidly divert his vision towards Inferno, who had unleashed flame against Silver's Zubat. Streams of electricity burst from the Magnemite, electrifying the distracted Charmander as Abra summoned a sphere of psychic energy, launching the attack at Erik's Pokemon.

More howls of torture emanated from behind. Blue's Squirtle had fallen in battle, a Koffing had flooded the shell with poisonous fumes, forcing the creature to emerge into an ambush of bloodthirsty Rattata. Wally's Pikachu had been saved by Leaf's Bulbasaur, Dino using his vines to whip the Zubat for a temporary respite.

"Surrender," Silver demanded, before seeing his Zubat crash to the floor in flames. Inferno had scorched the creature with embers to a muted response from Giovanni's son, as if all that had happened was one of his tools had broken.

"I won't let my friends down!" Erik roared, his fiery passion and steel determination filling his Pokemon with raw fight and energy. Inferno batted away the Gastly's sneak attack with claws, before resuming his barrage of flames against Silver's fighters. Magnemite swirled through the air, effortlessly performing a pirouette passed roaring fireballs before unleashing further volts of electricity at the Charmander. Gastly and Abra combined their attacks, spiritual and psychic energy fused together into a sphere swirling fuschia and violet.

Erik grimaced. Inferno remained weak from the constant assault and was a mere hatchling in terms of battle experience, the chances he'd survive the spherical strike were slim at best. He tentatively moved his hand towards his Pokeball, shaking at disgust in his imminent failure and capture.

"Stop!" Erik yelled. "I can't see a good Pokemon killed because of my foolish actions."

"You surrender because you can't see a Pokemon fall in battle like my Zubat did? You weak fool," Silver taunted him.

"That's the difference between you and me," Erik replied weakly. "Humanity."

"Hold!" Silver roared, his voice colliding with the tiled walls and echoing throughout the room, his grunts and their Pokemon rendered motionless by the call. Dino and Pikachu slumped to the floor, exhausted, before being recalled into the Pokeballs by their trainers.

"You have failed," Silver said tonelessly, with no hint of triumph or any sign of delight. The flames which split the room stopped suddenly as Silver raised his arm back into the air, all that remained from the pits of fire was smoke.

"This isn't over," Erik retorted, desperately racking his brains for a plan.

"Oh but it is," Silver spoke menacingly. "You think the assault on Fuschia City will be a success."

Erik gasped in horror. He felt his soul leave his body and heart skip a few beats as sweat poured down his face. The attack on Fuschia was engineered to take Rocket by complete surprise.

"How did you.." Erik could only manage a whisper before Silver cut him off.

"My father knows all. Today the Rocket Resistance ends. My role is to capture the leader, you, and annihilate your followers."

"And… Fuschia?"

"I'll show you," Silver replied, as he clenched his raised hand into a fist, causing the television screens to burst into life.

"As you can see," Gabby and Ty reported from Fuchsia City. The camera floated on a helicopter above a battered and singed beach. Archie with his lieutenants Mylos and Grant fled the scene, their landing party decimated by Team Rocket. "The Hoenn assault on our fine region has been repelled by Kanto Defence Minister Courtney, wife of esteemed Viridian Gym Leader and Kanto Foreign Minister, Giovanni."

"No.." Erik gasped once more, as Archie boarded a powerboat and fled with what remained of his army.

"Hand over your Pokeball," Silver demanded, Erik complied, grabbing onto the capsule and extending his hand.

"Maybe," Erik thought to himself, hatching a plan he had been formulating in his mind. "I have no chance of escape, but my friends do. All the Rocket grunts are still on the other side of the door, they've only released their Pokemon into the room, if I arm Blue with Inferno.."

"Stop hesitating," Silver snapped.

"You're a man who likes to be in control," Erik spoke with a sly smile.

"And what?"

"Run!" Erik roared to his friends, as he launched his Charmander's Pokeball across the room towards Blue, and raised his other hand into the air.

"Grunts get them!" Silver commanded, as he signalled for his Magnemite to render Erik unconscious with an electric shock.

* * *

"Run!" Leaf heard the shout surge through the room towards them, as a Pokeball flew towards them, landing on the tilled ground with a thud and rolling in their direction. Blue instantly reacted, sprinting towards the Charmander's capsule.

"Grunts get them!" She then heard Silver shout in the confused mess. The Television screen still showing Hoenn soldiers knocked unconscious before being dragged off to assumed imprisonment.

Leaf shifted her gaze towards Erik, who had raised a hand, before giving her a wink and a smile. He swiped his arm downwards at a rapid pace before Silver's Magnemite shocked him, rendering her friend unconscious.

In response to Erik's swipe through the air, flames burst from the walls once more, splitting the room in two as the doors raised themselves upwards and trapped the Rocket grunts behind. Stranded Rocket Pokemon remained clueless as to their trainers instructions, split from their trainers by thick tilled walls.

"Genius," Leaf cried. "All these contraptions are triggered by hand movements, because Silver feels the need to be in control. Erik worked that out and has given us a chance to get out of here!"

"Then let's go," Blue shouted impatiently, as Silver raised a hand into the air to stop the flames and reopen the doors.

"What about Erik?" Wally wailed.

"No time! They're coming!" Blue responded, and for once Leaf agreed with him.

"Come on, Yellow!" she shouted.

"But Leaf-" he stammered as she grabbed him and pulled the young trainer with them.

The trio bolted from the room, fleeing the facility after their failed mission. Erik had been captured, Archie and his army destroyed on the shores of Fuschia and the resistance remaining as Leaf herself, Blue, Wally and Professor Oak. They'd need to retreat to Pallet Town, but now Silver had identified Blue Oak, their greatest enemy was time.

"There they are!" a squad of grunts bellowed from the end of the corridor which led to the reception room.

"In here," Blue said as he pushed open a door to their right, Wally and Leaf following him closely. He shut the door behind them, Wally and Leaf pushing a nearby couch to barricade the doorway as Blue held it firmly shut.

"What now?" Wally heaved as the trio caught their breath. Rocket grunts pounded on the door behind them before shouts of "go around" and "get your Pokemon to bash it down" could be heard. Leaf eyed the room. It was barren, almost empty.

"Wait a minute," she said suddenly remembering. "This is the waiting room, I remember it from my test. Which means… Follow me!" she roared, bolting to the other side of the room and out of another doorway, into a corridor.

"Where are we going?" Blue demanded. Leaf paid him no heed, immediately bursting through a door in front of her and into a dimly lit room.

The room was huge, just as she remembered it. Two golden podiums lay cloaked in darkness to either side of a battle arena, with three Pokeballs resting atop each and a large hole compassing the centre of the mock stadium.

"The test room," Blue Oak spoke, remembering the arena from his test many years ago. "Let's split."

"Lets," Leaf agreed, sprinting towards the right podium as Blue bolted towards the left. Wally hesitated in confusion, before joining Leaf as Rocket grunts closed in.

"We got you now!" a grunt howled in glee.

"Not yet," Blue replied as he launched the three Pokeballs atop the podium at the grunts, out emerged a Caterpie, Weedle and Rattata. Leaf did the same, her Pokemon being a Pidgey, Rattata and Mankey.

"Blue over here!" she bellowed, as the confused Pokemon did what they were bred to do, blocking the grunts at the entrance in the process. "I remember from my recon here, the back door behind this podium leads outside. For trainers leaving in humiliation and not wanting to trek back through the facility, or special guest battlers who wish to be examiners for a particular examinee."

The three remainders of the Rocket Resistance departed the facility, racing back towards Pallet Town with nothing but a brief glance backwards. They unspokenly agreed to retreat back behind the treeline where they'd started the day.

"Are they following?" Wally panted as they entered the trees and concealed themselves behind a couple of thick oak trunks.

"No, think we lost them," Blue responded, struggling to catch his breath.

"Erik.." Leaf spoke solemnly. He'd been captured, their leader and inspiration, as well as Archie's strikeforce annihilated. "It's left to us now."

"But what can we do, they know we'll be in Pallet Town." Leaf had never heard Wally so downtrodden.

"We regroup at my Gramps's lab," Blue responded, slightly more optimistically, although now Silver had identified Blue Oak as a resistance member, they would target Professor Oak.

"Help from Hoenn gone, Erik gone, we might as well give up now," Leaf said, her head feeling heavy.

"Stop being such a pansy, Leaf," Blue said, before getting to his feet. "If you two are gonna sit here and cry then go ahead, but I'm heading back to Pallet Town."

"Stop being such an idiot," Leaf growled quietly, but Blue had already gone.

"Don't let it bother you," Wally comforted her.

"I hate it, I'm not scared of Rocket!"

"When I was young and at school, everyone used to make fun of my name," Wally replied, lifting his head and looking Leaf in the eye. "I'm called Wally, it is funny! But I let it get to me and I was always so sad, everyone bullied me. Even the school loser, Billy, used to walk around and call me Wally the Wally, and I hated it, so much so that I tried changing my name."

"But we all call you Wally?" Leaf spoke, puzzled.

"It was when I met Erik's dad, Norman. I went to a special class on Pokemon training, type advantages and stuff. Anyway, he asked who knew about which types were super effective against normal-type Pokemon, and I shouted out 'only fighting-type'. Billy then said, in front of everyone including a famous gym leader, 'oh of course Wally the Wally would know' and it made me cry. It was so embarrassing."

"So what happened?"

"Norman came over to me and told me to embrace the name, if people saw it get to me then they had won. Wear it like your armour and bullies will bounce off it, it will make you strong."

"So you're saying I shouldn't let his mean words affect me?"

"It will make you stronger, you'll look back at this and it will remind you where you've come from."

"That makes no sense," Leaf said after a soft chuckle. She admired the sickly young adult, he had come a long way, and if someone as frail and fragile as him could be this strong, then she could learn a thing or two from him.

"It will, Leaf," Wally said with a bright smile.

"Okay, I like that idea," Leaf agreed. "We'll need to all be strong to survive Rocket's retaliation, we have almost nothing left."

"We'll manage, we always have."


	3. Announcement

**Chapter Two - Announcement**

Executives and high ranking officials finished shuffling towards chairs adorned with violet velvet, each taking their marked place. Clinks of champagne glasses upon the marble table reverberated through the meeting room, forming a soft sympathy entwined with hushed chatter between the guests. Light filled the room, pouring from walls constructed of glass which granted the assembly a full view of the city beneath.

Silver tapped his fingers impatiently against the thick marble slab in front of him, refusing the drink offered by the waitress as he kicked at one of the table's many tapered wooden legs beside him in frustration, to a warning glance from Giovanni beside him.

His father contrasted him entirely, whilst Silver grew more and more restless at the length of time it was taking for the Team Rocket leaders to arrive and settle, Giovanni remained unmoving with fingers entwined at the head of the table, appearing as calm and collected as ever.

"Here they come, power hungry hounds ready to lick up our glory," Courtney hissed from opposite Silver. She pulled lightly on her lilac hair, which flowed wildly to her shoulders and matched the colour of her fierce eyes. Silver always remarked how youthful she appeared, despite her being his mother.

Silence washed over the room as Giovanni rose from his seat, his aura of authority like a wave of power. Silver studied his father, looking from his neatly cropped but receding jet black hair to dark eyes sunken into his skull, failing in his attempts to discern the man's expression. Giovanni's creased face remained embroiled in a war against age, but with each wrinkle came years of experience, wisdom and control, all of which emanated relentlessly from the Team Rocket leader. Even Silver respected him immensely, despite his sheer hatred of the man.

"Welcome, all of you," Giovanni's said in a deep, commanding voice. Silver hastened to find any chink in the man's armour. Possibly an unfastened button in his jet-black suit, or a looseness in his violet tie, but found nothing other than calculated perfection, which only made him feel even more uncomfortable in his father's presence. "I hope you all had a safe journey to Saffron City." The Team Rocket leader halted in his speech, scanning the room to gauge the attendees, before continuing. "I'm sure you are all wondering why you have been invited here today out of the blue."

Giovanni paused for breath, allowing Silver a chance to examine the room himself. He noticed that each member of the gathering hung on every word their boss uttered, baying for more. He was indifferent as to their identities, nobodies desperate to climb the power ladder by following at his father's heels, just to be called fancy titles like his own, "Head of Rocket operations in Viridian City".

"I'm sure you were all worried about journeying towards the city, cowering in fear of the menace entitling themselves as the 'Rocket Resistance'."

"Pathetic," Silver thought to himself, seeing all the members nod along in agreement to Giovanni's stern words. "No one dares to even question him."

"Well you may live in fear no more," Giovanni said to puzzled expressions from his obedient audience. "The resistance has ended. Their armies lay crushed and scattered upon Kanto's golden beaches, and we have captured the leader of their operations within Kanto and foiled their foolish plans." Giovanni picked up a glass of water from the table and took a sip, Silver knowing that his father was discerning the reactions of his subjects. "We discovered that the resistance had emanated from Hoenn, which is a region I promise you we'll subjugate after we've dealt with Johto, but for now their army is crushed and banished from our lands."

"Where's my credit?" Silver thought to himself. "I captured Erik, it was my plan to ensnare him in my trap and I don't even get a mention." He felt his blood boil, but didn't dare speak out against his father so simply gritted his teeth and resisted temptation of glaring at his father for fear of the consequences, "Not anymore," he thought as he moved his hand towards the mask he wore over his face.

"I'm sure you have many questions," Giovanni continued. "But there was one very important announcement to make, one that will change the Pokemon Championships forever. That's the real reason you've been called here." Another pause led to Courtney raising her hand in the seat to Giovanni's right. "Yes, Courtney?"

"Boss tell them about our plans for Hoenn," she almost squealed in excitement. Silver was always more reminiscent of his mother, but his father refused to acknowledge that side of him. Giovanni had informed him from a very young age that he needed to toughen up, if he didn't, then Silver would be unfit to carry on his legacy. Silver moved his hand towards his mask again, the burns and scars underneath throbbing constantly.

"Very well. We have a prototype war machine ready for testing, but the research and development has taken time and vast expense, so remains less than fully functional for now. When complete, we shall send armies over in these machines to Hoenn, they'll be unable to stand against us."

"Oh that's not the exciting thing!" Courtney said and bounced in her seat.

"No, but that's not ready for announcement yet. But believe me everyone, when it is, no one will be able to stand against us."  
"Project Union," Silver thought. "I've heard them whisper it, but even I don't know much about that."

"So what's the big news, boss? Oh wait! Tell them about the resistance leader!" Courtney spoke with glee, her expression softened whenever she was around Giovanni. She became almost like an overly excited schoolgirl.

"The leader of this little resistance was a young man named Erik, who some of you may have heard of," Giovanni announced. "He is locked away tightly in a secret location, his well-being dependant on future resistance activities. If Hoenn dare to strike again, he will be punished accordingly."

"Little Eriky boy was the Champion of Hoenn," Courtney informed the room. "For the idiots who have their heads in the sand. You know, we were close to taking Hoenn without force, but Erik became Champion and rallied the region against us, the idiot."

"Mother is the only one capable of getting away with speaking in his room," Silver thought. "If I tried that I'd be punished, like whenever I played up." His scarred throat now ached, despite him not uttering a word. If he spoke without assistance an agonising pain would claw at him, so his mask contained a miniature computerised speaker, aiding his speech and rendering his voice almost robotic, or demonic, depending on the person who heard it. "All this pain I feel everyday," Silver reminisced, "all because I wasn't 'tough enough'." A violent image burst into life within Silver's mind, of his father and a Growlithe, and the fire-type Pokemon's vicious flames. He touched his mask once more.

"So we need to stop anyone becoming Champion of Kanto," Giovanni said. "And our tactic of stopping potential threats to the stability of our governance by banning Pokemon trainers from owning Pokemon in the region could've only been a short term measure. The citizens of Kanto grow ever more restless." He finished the sentence with a nod to Courtney beside him, who grabbed a large roll of parchment from below in response and unfurled the paper across the table.

"A map of Kanto," Silver thought whilst studying the parchment, red rectangles had been drawn across the map, dividing the region into what looked like eight separate zones.

"We need to reintroduce the allowance of Pokemon trainers in the region before it causes civil unrest, but we also need to control who becomes Pokemon Champion. The Gym Challenge is too unpredictable, anyone can complete it as long as they're good enough."

"Oh this is the good bit!" Courtney squealed to the awaiting audience, Silver remarked that she hadn't acknowledged his presence once, not that she ever did.

"Plans have been formulated since the embargo on trainers two years ago to introduce a new format, with a small-scale prototype trialled in Hoenn." Giovanni waited before finishing the announcement, scanning the room to gauge his colleagues' reactions. "A Pokemon Championship, held once every four years with the winner becoming Champion of Kanto."

Slight gasps became confused chatter which engulfed the room, but Silver knew exactly what this meant. Giovanni and Team Rocket could control exactly who would become Champion, they'd give their members easy match-ups whilst eliminating threats by placing them against each other.

"What about the old Champion, and Elite Four?" a man called from across the room. His fierce and wildly spiked crimson hair countered the cool, ice blue eyes beset against an aging face.

"No questions mister," Courtney roared, to a diplomatic wave from Giovanni.

"It's quite alright Courtney," he spoke softly to his wife. "The format of the tournament will be as so." Giovanni paused to take a sip of water, preparing for a long and detailed explanation to clear the confusion which had swept the room following the announcement. "First up will be a local series, with Kanto divided into eight sectors as shown on the map. Each trainer will be placed in accordance to the locality they find themselves within when the tournament begins, and will face two other challengers during this stage of the tournament. Win both, and they progress to the next round. Of course, seven previous Gym Leaders will be placed into this round, for us to pair up with any problematic trainers."

"So we decide the battle match-ups!" Courtney declared gleefully.

"Precisely," Giovanni continued. "Then will come the regional round, where Kanto will be split in two - North and South. Once that's completed, there will be a national series where the surviving trainers face off up until we are left with four. Then begins the final elimination series with the old Elite Four and Champion introduced against the surviving four, the winner of this round becomes Champion.

"What about Gym Leader number eight?" another voice called, Silver couldn't tell who.

"That would be me," Giovanni responded. "I will enter the tournament only if necessary, in case any bad eggs progress far."

Silver clenched his hands into fists. He wanted to take part in this tournament, but his father hadn't even given him a passing glance.

"What about me, can I play?" Courtney enquired, bouncing up and down in her seat which squeaked uncomfortably.

"No, you're needed elsewhere," Giovanni responded, to noticeable disappointment from his wife who dipped her head, stuck out a bottom lip and crossed her arms. "Rocket ventures shall continue as planned, plans should be set forth imminently to strengthen our grasp on Kanto and push forward our victory in the war against Johto."

"Father," Silver croaked weakly, the voice modifier he wore causing his tone to come across more forcefully than intended. Giovanni turned sharply to glare at his son who had spoken out of turn, rendering the hairs on Silver's neck to stand upright.

"What is it?" Giovanni said darkly.

"What about me?"

"What about you?"

"Can I join the tournament?"

"And risk unveiling you to the region? No." Giovanni held his glare on his son for a few seconds. "And we shall have a chat about table manners, later."

Silver knew his father would want him to participate in the later rounds of the tournament instead to give him a better chance of winning. He considered asking his father about Kai, but stayed his tongue. He didn't dare mention that name to Giovanni at the best of times. Kai was gone now.

"Any other questions?" Giovanni spoke coolly to the room. "No? Good. Of course any of you are free to enter the tournament with insurances given to ensure your progression through the rounds. Meeting dismissed."

* * *

"I can assure you that Blue Oak will take no further part in Resistance activities," Professor Oak spoke over the phone loudly enough for Blue, Wally and Leaf to hear. "He was manipulated by the boy Erik, who I understand has now been brought to justice. Of course I shall now monitor him closely to ensure this never happens again." Oak pulled at his greying hair nervously as the voice responded on the other end. "I can only apologise, but you should know not to threaten me, remember our deal. This is strike one, as long as Blue behaves himself in future we have no problem." Oak slammed the phone down, refusing to give the Rocket member chance to reply.

"You need to be more careful," Oak declared to the group as he marched over, his long white labcoat trailing along the tiled laboratory floor.

"Alright Gramps you sorted it so no issue," Blue replied, arms folded as if he didn't have a care in the world. Leaf did though, her body shook silently as fear gripped her. Without Erik they were lost.

"No, no more 'raids' on Rocket facilities or assaults on their members," Oak said in an authoritative tone that caused Leaf and Wally to suddenly stiffen.

"We can't give up," Wally uttered anxiously. "Not after everything."

"I didn't mean disband the resistance," Oak corrected him. "I mean find another way."

"There is no other way," Leaf said, the feeling of hopelessness which engulfed her now clear in her voice.

"There is," Oak once again corrected. "Gabby and Ty phoned me earlier. They have been given advanced notice on a news story they are to report tomorrow. The Governor of Kanto is set to announce that trainers are to be officially allowed back in Kanto."

"What?" Leaf and Wally gasped in unison, even Blue seemed more alert at the news. "When?" they said together.

"Tomorrow," Oak said smugly. "Which opens up two opportunities."

"Two?" Blue was the one to ask as both Leaf and Wally celebrated by jumping into the air.

"We can now hunt Erik freely, in the guise of trainers," Oak answered, looking his grandson directly in the eye. "I have no clue to his location but Archie has informed me that he's still alive, kept as leverage in case Hoenn plans another assault."

"And the other opportunity is that one of us can try to unite the region by becoming Champion, like how Erik united Hoenn," Leaf caught on. "Whilst the other two hunt Erik?"

"No," Oak replied. "All three of you will try to become Champion, the odds are stacked against us. You all need to listen out for clues as to Erik's location, but cannot actively go after Rocket as there will be consequences. I will find out all I can here, using all my resources and contacts."

"Race you to the first Gym!" Wally challenged Leaf, before Oak cut him off.

"They've shut them down," the Professor announced to puzzled gasps. "There's now a new tournament format, where apparently high ranking officials draw lots on the match-ups."

"So Giovanni will match us up against tougher opponents," Wally said glumly.

"Only Blue, they do not yet know the identities of Green and Yellow. Leaf and Wally."

"This tournament, how do we find out who we're facing?" Blue enquired.

"On your wrist devices, worn to declare you as a Pokemon trainer and used to track your location. When a match-up is announced, it will flash up on your device," Oak answered, before turning and pointing to a cupboard. "I've kept them safe, don't worry."

Blue marched across the room and pulled his wrist device from the cupboard before anyone could say another word. "I'm off then," he mentioned as he departed his grandfather's laboratory.

"Head to Cerulean City," Oak uttered as Blue stormed out. "Kanto has been split into eight sectors for the first round, we'll get you all in different areas to avoid matching you up together. Wally, you go to Vermillion City. Leaf, stay here in the 'Western Region'."

"Yes sir!" Leaf answered excitedly with a small bounce and a deep grin. Now was her chance to make her family proud, to save Erik, and to unite the region against Team Rocket. Now was her chance to become Pokemon Champion of Kanto.


	4. A New Leaf

Chapter Three - A New Leaf

"Save him," Caroline said to Leaf. Her auburn hair flowed down to the shoulders of her yellow dress whilst a tearful mist clouded her blue eyes. "I miss him."

"We all want to rescue your son," Leaf replied cautiously, treading carefully on each word in fear of upsetting Erik's distraught mother even further. "Wally, Blue, Oak and I will scour the region for any sign of Erik."

"And look out for my brother please," Daisy Oak said with a smile. She shared her brother's chestnut coloured hair and eyes, but in contrast to the petulant expression engraved on Blue's face, his sister frequently appeared sweet and smiling.

"Of course," Leaf replied, noting that Daisy bore a lab coat. Professor Oak's granddaughter frequently aided him in his studies, she was locally famous for having a calming effect on even the wildest Pokemon.

"Thank you, and good luck," Daisy said before Caroline echoed her well wishes.

Leaf departed the quaint abode of Pallet Town with a heavy feeling of apprehension like a weight in her stomach. Route One beckoned her now with its lush rolling grasslands connecting the hamlet she was departing to Viridian City. She strolled briskly through the freshly cut lawns of the route, flanked by beautiful flowerbeds which featured a plethora of bright colours. She hoped that none within Viridian would recognise her after the raid. Instead of the green clothes and mask she had worn during the assault on the Test Centre, she now bore an aqua-blue top with a rose-red skirt. A yellow bag was slung over her shoulder, containing supplies and equipment for her journey. She also had a belt strapped around her waist containing six slots for Pokeballs, one of which had Dino's capsule attached.

A device clipped to the right side of her belt vibrated violently. Leaf grabbed the PokeNav, a device which acted as part mobile phone, part Pokemon encyclopedia and part mobile television, and flipped open the yellow gadget to see that Archie was calling her from Hoenn.

"Hello," she answered, pressing the PokeNav to her ear. The devices originated from Hoenn, which is why the Resistance members kept in touch with them, Team Rocket struggled to track their frequencies.

"Cecilia," Archie growled, his gruff voice sounding as if he had gravel trapped in his throat. "Or Leaf, or whatever you call yourself these days."

"Call me Leaf," she said then giggled. "What's up?"

"Just wanna keep you updated. Rocket destroyed our army and now we fear a counterattack so we must prepare our defenses here in Hoenn."

"So you're saying we're on our own?" Leaf interrupted.

"Nah. Well yeah. Sorta," Archie said. "We can't actively assist you. But we are here if you need us. If you find out where Erik is then don't go alone, give me a call and I can get an elite team there to you quick. I've gotten my boys Mylos and Grant to sort out a small strike team just in case."

"Archie," she replied softly. "We need you."

"Nah you don't. You and Wally are two of the best trainers I know. You have that old man professor and his grandkid helping too. Just stay out of plain sight and you'll do fine."

"We'll try. Speak soon," Leaf said as she hung up the phone. She understood Archie's predicament, but still hoped for reinforcements from Hoenn, they needed them badly, Especially if Rocket caught on to their identities.

Suddenly her wrist device lit up. The black electronic watch strapped to her arm usually just showed the time. If a nearby trainer pointed their own device at her and pressed the touch screen, a red light would appear on Leaf's own watch, meaning she was challenged to a battle she cannot refuse. But now her watch displayed a message, "Announcement". Leaf moved her finger to the screen and tapped it once, two new words flashed up on the small watch-face "Round One". Another tap bought up the two final words of the message: "Sammy Anthony", who Leaf assumed was to be her opponent. The light at the top of the device lit a dim red after the screen resumed displaying the time.

"I guess that's how I find my opponent," Leaf thought aloud. "The light gets brighter the closer I am to this 'Sammy Anthony'." She stopped for a moment to consider her next course of action, she hadn't heard of her opponent, but assumed he had been training relentlessly over these past two years, gathering a team of Pokemon primed for battle, and all she had was Dino.

Leaf flipped open her PokeNav, fiddling through the different menus to bring up a specific tab, 'Kanto Trainer Rules'. She studied the rules of the region thoroughly, ensuring she didn't miss a word. Kanto had kept the standard trainer ruleset with laws such as battles are to be fought one on one, to the death with only six Pokemon maximum to be carried by each trainer at any time, but they had also adopted Hoenn's rules. Only one Pokemon may be caught per route, that Pokemon being the first that appears to a trainer on that route and trainers may not train their Pokemon by battling against wild Pokemon, only engaging in conflict either to catch using a Pokeball, or in self-defence. Browsing the list she spotted a new rule fixed in place, one that hadn't been present in the region of Hoenn. "Once a trainer's Pokemon enters the zone of battle in any official trainer fight, that Pokemon cannot be recalled into its Pokeball unless it retreats to its trainer." This meant that she wouldn't be able to recall her Pokemon if they were weak or about to fall, they would have to leave the 'zone of battle', which was the fighting area marked between where the trainers stood.

"I bet Team Rocket members won't follow these rules, and they've only been implemented to help Giovanni control trainers even easier," Leaf said grimly. "But I guess if I'm to become Champion, I'll have to stay within the limits and not draw unwanted attention. Now, I need a team of Pokemon to challenge Sammy Anthony."

* * *

Wally gulped in the salty sea air as he stepped off the small boat into the hustle and bustle of Vermillion City's docks. He had arrived into the heart of Kanto, taking a small vessel from Pallet Town towards the great port city. Once the ship had neared the harbour his wrist device flashed with the name of his opponent.

"Oh here it is," a sarcastic voice bleated in Wally's ear, causing him to remember he had a PokeNav pressed to his ear with Blue on the other end. "Our first match, how exciting."

"I got Jasper Braxton," Wally read aloud.

"Shane Cale here," Blue said. "This should be easy."

"You know him?" Wally asked as he strolled across the docks, the afternoon sun struggling to peek through the clouds as a flock of Spearow soared overhead.

"Nope, nor your guy either, that's why it'll be easy. I'd know of anyone worth knowing about."

"Don't be too cocky, Blue." Wally stopped mid-sentence as his wrist device glared a bright red, he had barely set foot in the city and his opponent was already close by. "I think he's close."

"Yeah mine too," Blue said. "In fact, there he is, he's already challenged me the idiot. My Pidgey, Rattata and Charmander should have an easy time here!"

"How'd you get there so quick?" Wally asked as he upped his pace towards a nearby cave, hoping for a brief respite and chance to capture another Pokemon or two before his opening battle of the tournament.

"When there's a will there's a way. I gotta go. Smell ya later!" A clicking sound resounded from Wally's PokeNav, signalling that Blue had hung up the call.

"Hey you!" a voice called from behind Wally. "You Wally Heiko?"

In shock Wally slowly turned, his wrist device catching the corner of his eye as it rapidly flashed a deep red.

"Jasper?" Wally squeaked. The only Pokemon in his possession was his barely trained Pikachu, he was nowhere near ready for a battle.

"That's me," the elderly gentleman said. His white hair was tied up in a bun above a well-worn face, his thin mouth enshrouded by a full goatee. "Been waiting two years for this. Let's fight"

"In the city?" Wally asked, desperately seeking any sort of stalling tactic.

"Well, on the outskirts," the man said, his hoarse voice trailing away at the end of each sentence. "We're only just in the city limits, should be out of the way. As long as we stay within a certain distance of each other we will still be in 'battle mode'."

Wally slowly reached towards Pikachu's Pokeball, a sinking feeling plummeting towards his stomach. If he walked far enough away from Jaspar his wrist device would declare that he had lost the battle. He had to fight.

* * *

Children played at the edge of Viridian City, the cobbled streets lit limply by a dim sunlight which protruded through thick dull stone city caused wisps of memories to flicker through Leaf's mind, replaying partial scenes from their assault on Rocket's Test Centre and Erik's eventual capture. She recalled the look of sheer defiance plastered across his face until the end and the enviable willpower Erik constantly summoned in every testing moment he fought. He wasn't just her friend, but someone she inspired to be.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a male Rattata skulking across the pathway towards a female, yet again attempting to charm the stubborn creature as trees loomed to their right and cast shade upon them. She spotted his approach, where she immediately thrusted her head into the sky to show disinterest and trotted off back to her trainer, Leaf.

"Sorry Fang," Leaf called out to the male Rattata, knowing that from the first instance her newly captured Pokemon had sighted Rex, he was caught in her allure. "She's just not interested," Leaf followed with a giggle.

Fang limped feebly back to a Mankey and Weedle who lay at the edge of the treeline, the two Pokemon commiserating with their friend. Whilst Rex preferred the company of Leaf, Fang rapidly bonded with Fury the Mankey and Jab the Weedle, the trio becoming good friends in an instant. She had caught four new Pokemon along four fresh Kanto routes, assembling a team in the few hours she had before the inevitable arrival of Sammy, her first round opponent.

Leaf chuckled again as Fang playfully tackled Fury, the two rolling across the pavement as Jab slithered behind them and failing in his attempts to keep pace. Rex gave her a knowing look, as they both realised that the Mankey had been lightheartedly teasing Fang on his failure. Fury had been known to be mischievous but good natured but it was Jab that Leaf felt pity for; The poor Weedle was weak and struggled to match up to his two friends but that had never stopped him trying.

A shrill beeping suddenly resounded from Leaf's wrist device, the red light flashing on and off as the words "Battle Locked" appeared on screen. The words disappeared to be replaced by a picture of a man with bulging brown eyes, almost like a bugs. He must've been only just into adulthood with a clean shaven face and thick greasy hair as if he hadn't washed in weeks. The image was captioned with a name, "Sammy Anthony".

"Leaf Fuguri," a high-pitched scratchy voice called out from a few metres across her, "you look prettier in your picture." He stood dressed in blue shorts with a plain white sleeveless top. His face matched his picture but in person he bore a yellow bowl hat and carried a net with him used for catching small Pokemon.

"Excuse me?" she snapped irritably, then stopped. "What would Erik do?" she asked herself. Would he have been offended by a small jibe, or would he have fought fire with fire?

"I said," he screeched louder, "you have a face like the Rattata in your arms."

Rex growled beside her, channelling her trainer's anger at the comment. Leaf refused to let her fury show, instead choosing to calm her Rattata by stroking its soft fur head.

"Listen, bug boy," she retorted, but stopped as she saw him take pride in her response. She had meant to insult in reference to his bulging eyes which seemed to pop out of his head, but her opponent had taken it as a compliment to his obvious hobby of gathering bug-type Pokemon.

"I'm listening." His voice almost came across as a hiss, despite him taking a more friendly tone than before. "And not hearing."

"I…" Leaf was lost for words as Fury, Fang and Jab returned to her side. She had kept Dino in his Pokeball in order to spend more time with her new captures, but considered releasing him now. "Let's just fight!" she finally followed.

"Not here," Sammy said whilst looking around the streets and seeing children playing nearby. "In there," he said, pointing towards the trees that flanked Viridian City and suited his bug Pokemon.

"Fine," Leaf replied. She knew she was gifting him the terrain advantage but all she cared about was humiliating the boy in battle after his insults. She let him lead her and her Pokemon into the trees, Dino remaining in his Pokeball for now and Rex in her arms. The trio of friends following in close proximity behind her.

Sammy and Leaf reached a small clearing in which to battle, thorn bushes and thick trees surrounding the insignificant patch of grass where both trainers now stood prepping their team for battle. Sammy released all his Pokemon from their Pokeballs and barked instructions to his Caterpie, two Weedles and Kakuna in turn.

"Right then," Leaf said to her Pokemon. "Who's first?" Fang stepped forward first, eager to impress Rex but Leaf held out a hand and nodded to Fury instead, the Mankey was to be her first fighter into the fray. "Sorry Fang," she whispered to her Rattata. "But your head is in the wrong place right now, you won't be focused on the battle, you'll be focused on trying to impress Rex, and that could get you killed." Fang responded by dropping his head. Leaf guessed by his solemn expression that he clearly understood why his trainer had made that choice but was still upset by the decision. Leaf guessed by his defeated expression that he was losing hope in the battle for Rex's heart.

Fury made a screech-like noise as he waded onto the battlefield, a sort of war cry towards the Weedle who now crawled towards him. Leaf regarded her Pokemon as he flexed his muscles at his opponent, noticing that Fury looked like a small cream-coloured fur ball with legs, arms, ears and a tail which curled when her Pokemon was angry. From behind, her Mankey looked almost cute and innocent, but she knew the constant ferocious look in his blood-red eyes and the scowl permanently painted across his features, which is why she gifted him the name, "Fury".

An indomitable rage swelled within Fury, fuelling his hunger for battle and destruction at the sight at of his opponent hurtling towards him. The berserk Mankey charged, becoming oblivious to the world outside of the minuscule battlefield. Fury lunged wildly with an enclosed fist, hoping to dominate his opponent with raw power, but the Weedle rolled rapidly and dodged the blow before swinging round. The bug Pokemon aimed the spike affixed to the top of its head back round at Fury, who had stumbled after failing with his charge, and was now regaining his composure.

"Look out!" Leaf screamed to her Pokemon, but Fury was too wrapped up in his frenzy to heed her calls of warning. The Mankey spun on his heel, swinging a fist back around and pummeling the Weedle who had implanted the spike into Fury's leg, the toxins infused within began creeping into the Mankey's body. Unperturbed, Fury began a relentless onslaught of strikes, striking the Weedle with one fist then the other, before slowing and collapsing to his knees as the poison took its full hold of the Pokemon.

"Finish it!" Sammy encouraged his Pokemon, seeing Leaf's Mankey on its knees with his arms across his chest in agony. The Weedle stammered forward, it had been knocked back bruised and dazed by the constant blows but now began to slowly crawl towards his downed opponent.

"Don't give up," Leaf whispered to herself, trying to channel her energy and emotions into her Pokemon. She knew that if the bond between her and her creatures was strong enough, they could feed off each other's strength, but she had only just met her Mankey. She attempted to catch her Pokemon's eye, but saw only rage within, which was an advantage in itself.

Fury staggered back to his feet before aiming a wild kick at the Weedle. Sammy's Pokemon was weakened by the earlier assault and rendered too feeble to dodge the blow as the Mankey's foot collided, sending the Weedle sprawling across the ground. Fury became relentless once more, no longer hindered by the poison coursing through his veins as anger surged through him. Leaf's Mankey leapt through the air towards his opponent, finishing him off with a series of ferocious strikes.

"Well done Fury!" Leaf sighed with relief, before recalling her Mankey to her side and applying an antidote to her Pokemon, eliminating the poison from within. She didn't know what caused her Pokemon to be so full of hatred and anger, but it did seem to be a trait in many Mankey.

"Lucky," Sammy declared, glancing at Leaf with his bug-like eyes. "My Caterpie will crush you."

"Jab," Leaf spoke to her own Weedle. "This is where you show everyone what you can do." Jab looked sheepish at the thought of having to go out and fight, but reluctantly slithered into the centre of the the clearing to face the Caterpie in battle. Fang and Fury called out in support of their friend, the Mankey having now seemingly flicked an internal switch rendering himself calm.

Battle commenced, both Pokemon firing string at the other in attempts to trip their opponent or slow them down between wild tackles, neither inflicting much damage on the other. Both the Weedle and the Caterpie appeared tentative, clearly neither had yet been tested in battle.

"Jab," Leaf called to her Pokemon who turned his head to look at his trainer, she saw the trepidation scream in his eyes. "No!" she shrieked, as Sammy's Pokemon took advantage of its opponent's distraction and encasing Jab in a tomb of string.

"Yes!" Sammy screeched, jumping on the spot in triumph as his Caterpie rammed into the string coffin again and again. Leaf knew that her Weedle would be offered a slight protection from his casing, but with each blow the string would become weaker, allowing the Caterpie to damage him further.

Fury and Fang gasped in synchronisation as part of the string tore open at another ram from the Caterpie, leaving Jab's head exposed and primed for a final attack from Sammy's Pokemon. The Caterpie backtracked a few steps, ensuring it had a long run up in order to maximise the damage, then charged.

"No!" Leaf screamed then closed her eyes.

"No!" Sammy echoed a few moments later. Leaf opened her eyes to see the Caterpie prone on the ground as poison seeped through its system, then turned her vision back towards the cocoon of string to see Jab had lowered his head at the last moment, causing the Caterpie to ram straight into the spike affixed to the top of his head.

Fury and Fang jumped for joy on the sidelines before entering the battlefield and helping Jab escape his string prison, escorting him victoriously from the fray.

"Wanna go next?" Leaf asked Rex who still lay in her arms. The Rattata leapt from her trainer and strutted forward proudly to protests from Fang. "Don't worry," Leaf told the male Rattata. "You'll get your chance, and Rex can handle herself."

"You rodent!" Sammy screeched, not to Rex but to Leaf. "You insolent rodent! I've trained for months for this moment only to be stopped by some silly little girl."

"Are we fighting or crying?" Leaf retorted, before smiling to herself, proud of the reply.

"Winning! I'll be winning!" Sammy responded before hastily pushing his second Weedle towards Rex.

Leaf knew Rex's battle style already, she had been her first capture and had aided her in recruiting Fury, Fang and Jab respectively. Her female Rattata wasn't naturally the strongest, and despite being fast, she also wasn't the quickest. But she fought using her wits, and fighting clever was just as respectable as any other style.

Her battle intelligence became evident instantly, Rex foresaw that the Weedle would attack its poisonous point so she skittered towards a thorn bush, then stopped and prepared for her opponent's inevitable charge.

"Get it! It's running from you," Sammy bellowed to his Pokemon, causing Leaf to giggle. Rex had outthought both the trainer and the Pokemon.

The Weedle obeyed its trainer's instruction and leapt towards Rex with its point gleaming in the thin sunlight which trickled through the trees. As Sammy's Pokemon began its downward arc through the air, Rex sprang out the way, causing the Weedle to crash into the thorn bush and cry out in agony as the barbs pricked its skin. Rex raced towards her weakened foe, plunging her thick front teeth into the creature to receive a shrill cry of pain in return.

"How?" Sammy cried out. "How are you doing this?" he followed as his Weedle collapsed under the pressure, leaving him with just his Kakuna.

"Rex come back!" Leaf called, her Rattata trotting back to her trainer without a scratch. "It's Fang's turn now," she smiled at her other Rattata, who eagerly walked forward, bouncing with each step at the joy of being able to show his talents towards Rex. Sammy's Kakuna also came towards the centre of the clearing, appearing to roll towards her opponent.

"My Kakuna is soon to evolve," he announced, causing a spike of fear to surge through Leaf. Her Pokemon weren't even close to being battle hardened enough to face a Beedrill in battle.

"Try and do this quickly," she ordered Fang, who saw it as another way to prove himself to Rex.

The two joined in battle, Fang attempted to tackle the Kakuna before avoiding the creature's poisonous point. Sammy's Pokemon had evolved from a Weedle, but still kept its predecessors spike on its lower half. Fang circled his opponent, ensuring he kept the venomous tail in his vision before attacking again, then rolling and narrowly avoiding the swipe from Kakuna.

"Evolve and win me this," Sammy ordered his Pokemon. Leaf knew that a Pokemon would only evolve on two conditions. Firstly, it would need to have enough battle experience and confidence to reach the next stage of its life cycle and secondly the bond between Pokemon and trainer needed to be strong enough. Leaf had observed that Sammy's Kakuna was obviously capable enough in itself to evolve, like it would in the wild, but she sensed a fragile bond between the two which stopped it from evolving when owned by the trainer.

Fang ducked under a venomous lunge then plunged his teeth into the Kakuna's soft underbelly, lodging the fangs into his foe. Leaf's Rattata saw his opponent swinging the poisonous point around for another blow and attempted to dodge but couldn't move, his fangs were stuck. He tried again, fully aware of the forthcoming attack, this time managing to slide his teeth free but it was too late.

"Fang!" Leaf shrieked as both Fury and Jab gasped when the point penetrated Fang's skin and pumped poison into the Rattata, even Rex sat up from where she had slumped to the ground lazily.

"Kakuna?" Sammy called. Both his Pokemon and Fang lay motionless on the ground, weakened by the traded blows. "You can't fail, you can't. I need this so much, please don't fall like everyone else," he pleaded towards his Pokemon. It was the first sign of true emotion that Leaf had seen from the trainer, and she could see the invisible bond between both Pokemon and trainer strengthen. Sammy's Kakuna suddenly became swathed in a dazzling white light which engulfed its entire frame.

"Fang! Fang get back," Leaf bellowed. Kakuna was evolving into Beedrill, and if Fang failed to retreat from the battle zone in time, he was doomed. The rules stated that she was unable to recall him using his Pokeball, and she couldn't send another Pokemon into the field whilst she had one there already or else face possible disqualification from the tournament.

The light which had engulfed Kakuna morphed from the shape of Sammy's Pokemon into an entirely different form; One which bore wings, two legs, and two arms with a poisonous point affixed at the end of each.

"Fang!" she called again, adding her voice to the despairing howls of Jab and Fury who were desperate for their friend to come back to them. But their calls were in vain as Fang's eyes swelled. He accepted his own defeat, his own failure, until Rex climbed to her feet and cried out to him.

The sight of Rex wanting him to survive seemed to reinvigorate Fang, who slowly crawled back towards his trainer, slowly picking up pace until he was almost back to walking speed. The blinding light had vanished, to be replaced by a horrendous buzzing sound as the newly evolved Beedrill chased after Fang.

"Oh no," Leaf gasped, clutching Dino's Pokeball in her hand as she awaited Fang's withdrawal. The Rattata slowly hobbled, poison slowing his advances as Rex awaited him at the edge of the battlefield, the Beedrill in close proximity. Sammy's Pokemon was but inches away when he pulled back an arm ready to strike with a venomous assault, but Fang had safely retreated and collapsed beside Rex, who reluctantly soothed her fellow Rattata by stroking his head with her own.

Leaf launched Dino's Pokeball into the fray, before applying an antidote to Fang and recalling the weakened Pokemon back into its own Pokeball to allow him to rest.

Sammy fidgeted uncontrollably as his body trembled with both excitement and anticipation, his arrogant demeanour returning with his Pokemon's evolution. His Beedrill hovered in the air, darting hastily from side to side in an effort to discern a weakness in the Bulbasaur but Dino stood firm. Sammy's Pokemon tested his foe's resolve with a false charge, lunging with the sharp needle affixed to his arm, the tip dripping with a venomous substance, before rapidly pulling back. Dino again stood firm.

"Be strong Dino," Leaf whispered, feeling her body shake nervously. Her Bulbasaur had not yet moved, preferring to wait and let his opponent make the first attack but now sensed that would not happen. The Beedrill continued to loiter before him, after failing to make Dino so much as flinch with his tests.

"Don't just stay there," Sammy impertinently commanded his Pokemon. "You can win me this battle, attack that little green creature."

His fighter had no choice but to abandon the waiting game and instead began his assault, which was exactly what Dino had been waiting for. The Beedrill lunged once more with both poisonous lances pointed towards his foe, leaking death from their tips. A vine shot out like a whip from inside the bulb planted on Dino's back and swatted his opponent from the air. Another vine shot out, joining the other in smashing against the Beedrill like a pair of canes.

"No!" Sammy cried. "Get up. Get up!"

Dino ceased his efforts in order to regain his strength, the assault seemingly sapping the energy from him. Beedrill grasped the opportunity to limply retake the aerial advantage, attempting to soar into the skies until Leaf noticed one of his wings was broken, snapped off by one of the whip-like vines and halting the Beedrill from becoming airborne. Dino charged.

"This is it!" Leaf exclaimed, adrenaline surging through her. Her Bulbasaur carved through the grassy terrain, galloping towards victory to looks of horror from Sammy, his face a picture of agony and foreboding. Dino smashed into the struggling Beedrill, causing the bug Pokemon to rocket through the air back towards his trainer and landing with a crash before Sammy.

"How did you defeat me!" Sammy uttered before collapsing to his knees, cradling his defeated Beedrill in his arms. "I'd trained my life for this and I'm out in the first round."

Leaf moved to comfort the young trainer, before considering if he'd have done the same for her. She decided that he would have gloated had he been victorious so left him to wallow in his misery alone.

"Well done Dino," she spoke to her Bulbasaur who now trotted merrily alongside her, a bounce to his step. "I thought that Beedrill would've ended us all." Her Pokemon responded with a cheerful growl. "They'll wait until all the first round fights are completed before announcing our next matchup," she announced to her team who walked beside her now, with the exception of Fang who recuperated within his Pokeball. "So we will have a day or two to relax. I've heard of a museum full of ancient artifacts that I'd love to go and see in Pewter City to the north. We'll have to cross through Viridian Forest, but that's safe if you stick to the paths."

So it was decided. Leaf smiled to herself. She had won the first round without losing a single Pokemon in battle, but she knew that the road ahead was only going to get more difficult. Much more difficult.

* * *

"Please," Wally begged his opponent. "Please don't kill my Pikachu." His frail voice echoed around the cave they dwelled within, bouncing off the brown rocks encrusted on the walls.

"It's alright kid," Jaspar replied, toying with the thin wisp of white hair on his chin. "You're young, you'll recover. If you lose all your Pokemon in battle, you'll lose your trainer's licence. But that's fine, you can apply for one again in a year, you'll have to go to the Test Centre in Viridian and pass those tests though. Sorry I'm rambling," the elderly gentleman decided, watching his Magnemite circle the kill, twirling its steel body through the air as electric charges sparked from the magnets it had for arms. Jasper repeatedly tapped at each of the three Pokeballs still attached to his belt, as if to remind Wally that even if his Pikachu managed to somehow miraculously defeat his Magnemite, he still had plenty of Pokemon left to fight.

"I've only just got here, I didn't have time to catch any other Pokemon," Wally pleaded against his inevitable defeat.

"Back in my day, Pokemon only fought until they fainted or were withdrawn from battle. And there was no such thing as a trainer licence, you could catch Pokemon anywhere and however many you wanted. But now Rocket are in charge, and now its to the death, and now you can only catch one Pokemon per route and if you are defeated in battle it's over for you. It's not my world anymore and certainly not my rules. But the law is the law. I'm sorry kid, I truly am."

"Just allow me to go out and catch a couple of Pokemon so it's a fair fight."

"I can't leave or I surrender the battle. Same for you. If you don't want me to kill your Pikachu then I won't but you must surrender the fight."

Wally paused and considered that for a moment, a quiet blanketed the cave, only interrupted by the Magnemites buzzing and swirling. He had zero chance of winning this battle, he had failed. He could travel back to Hoenn with his Pikachu and hope Leaf and Blue can rescue Erik, or he could stay as Professor Oak's assistant which would allow him to both keep his Pikachu and help search for Erik, but he'd have no freedom and his dream of becoming Champion would be crushed until the next tournament.

"Come on kid, make a decision," Jasper broke the silence, the pain of what he must do evident in his eyes.

"I can't…" Wally replied, tears filling his eyes. "I can't give up. I can't do it."

"I get that," Jasper flicked his gaze from Wally to his Magnemite. "Finish this quickly my Pokemon."

"Pikachu hold on," Wally whispered, struggling to speak. The cave rumbled softly as the Magnemite began charging its final attack, volts of electricity surging through its steel frame. The cave rumbled again, more forcefully this time.

"What is that?" Jaspar asked, confused.

"I thought that was your Pokemon?" Wally replied, before a powerful rumble rocked the cave like an earthquake. Magnemite unleashed his attack, electricity surging through the air towards the stricken Pikachu, but the attack was halted by a falling rock. The cave had began collapsing in on itself.

Magnemite was struck by a falling boulder, the impact fracturing its metal shell and crushing the creature within. As Wally fumbled around for his Pikachu's Pokeball, Jaspar fled the scene, sprinting from falling rocks as the cave shook and collapsed around them. Wally's wristwatch vibrated, the buttons flashing green to show he was victorious in battle, his opponent having surrendered by leaving the battle zone. Wally withdrew his Pikachu into his Pokeball and began to run, but the rumbling had suddenly stopped.

Wally looked back down the cave and caught movement in the darkness. Three shapes emerged, shuffling towards him and he wanted to flee, but his legs had frozen in place. He had been halted by his own fear. The three shadowed figures took the form of humans as they grew ever closer, until Wally could get a clearer image. One stepped forward ahead of the others wearing a cloak of gold which shadowed his face. The two behind him wore cloaks of black, one featuring a blue trim and the other trimmed green. They stopped before him.

"We saved you, Wally Heiko," the gold cloak spoke, his voice a hiss and gravely menacing.

"Who…What…" Wally stammered a reply.

"Servants," the two in black spoke in unison.

"We are Servants," the man in gold added. "But I have a name. I am Ethan. We have come to enlist the Rocket Resistance. We saved you and now you owe us."

* * *

"Monster!" the first man screamed as he fled from the entrance to Viridian Forest, a huge iron gate which held back the overgrowth of trees behind it. The forest floor lay almost invisible beneath its shadowed canopy, the awaiting darkness dimly illuminated only by gas lanterns hoisted atop poles carving out an ominous pathway.

"Everyone run!" a woman followed, before Leaf grabbed her arm.

"What's going on?" she asked, noting the look of terror in the woman's eyes.

"A thing! A metal thing! A metal monster! In the forest."

"A Pokemon? Big steel type Pokemon?" Leaf asked, puzzled.

"Not a Pokemon, not a Pokemon at all. Just a monster."

Leaf released her grip on the lady, who sprinted towards the safety of Viridian City. She looked to her fully healed team as two more bug enthusiasts rushed passed. "What's going on?" she questioned them, before deciding she would check out this 'metal monster' for herself. "I will take down the beast," she declared to another young trainer who dashed by her. Her team roared in approval at the notion, they would enter the forest and destroy the terror within.


	5. Metal Monster

**Chapter Four - Metal Monster**

Flares sparked from the flames, the embers dancing joyfully across the miniature peninsula which lived with a thick paint of grass, before dissipating upon contact with the lake's afternoon sun remained trapped behind looming clouds which threatened a rain that never came but instead filled the air with a damp odour.

Blue stared at his opponent. Shane stood firm, refusing to let his imminent perish show in his demeanour. Instead he averted his gaze from the scene, preferring to peer across the lake residing to the north of Cerulean City. He had seen his Ekans and Rattata fall, and now his bug Pokemon were being decimated by the Charmander's fires upon the grass which slithered out across a section of the lake.

"You lose," Blue stated the obvious. "Completely and utterly."

"I know," Shane Cale replied flatly, still staring across the lake's shimmering surface.

"Well that's round one done with," Blue gloated. "Hopefully I get a better challenge for round two."

"Maybe. Maybe not," the young trainer replied, before beginning his seemingly carefree trek back towards Cerulean City.

"Not much of a talker," Blue mumbled to himself before calling his Charmander to his Pokeball and attaching the device to his belt alongside his Rattata and Pidgeys' capsules. "Oh well," Blue spoke to himself. "I suppose Leaf and Wally are meeting me here when they're done with their own fights. Probably need to find something to keep myself occupied, they'll take long enough," he finished with a roll of his eyes.

The fight with Shane had been an easy one, which owed much to the strength of Blue's Charmander. He recalled Erik gifting him the fire type Pokemon moments before his capture during the failed assault on Team Rocket's Test Centre. He remarked at just how powerful his friend's Pokemon was, a testament to Erik's strength as a trainer combined with Blue's own teachings.

"Thank you," Blue thought as he tapped Charmander's Pokeball, thanking Erik as much as the Pokemon. "I know how I'll fill the time whilst I wait. I'll look for clues on Rocket activity, I owe it to Erik to save him." He glanced towards the Pokemon Centre, notable for its red roof and Pokeball symbol above the doorway. The building acted as a Pokemon hospital, or treatment centre, where Pokemon go to be healed of the wounds they received in battle with limited uses per month for each trainer.

A cold chill bit at Blue's sides during the stroll back across Nugget Bridge, the wooden platform which stretched across the lake, providing an overpass across the water and connecting Cerulean to Route 25. Blue used the momentary respite to recall childhood memories, reminiscing ruefully as he usually did when he enjoyed a moment of peace.

Both his parents had passed before he turned three, too early in his life for him to remember their faces. Instead, he spent his childhood living with his grandfather, Samuel Oak, and his older sister, Daisy Oak. The great Pokemon professor raised the two in Pallet Town, teaching them everything there is to know about Pokemon; From battling, to training, to nurture, to evolution and beyond. Samuel was a reserved man who never spoke of Blue's parents although after years of his grandson's constant prodding, he revealed that their father had died not long after Blue's birth, and their mother only a couple of years after that.

Daisy, being a couple of years the senior, remembered more, but only little. She told Blue what she could of their parents. She couldn't remember their father, and retained only very vague details of her mother.

"Her name was Aria, Aria Oak." Daisy would tell him whenever he asked. Which was frequently, whenever he was feeling upset or alone he yearned to hear tales of his mother and his sister remained the only source of his solace. "I remember her big brown eyes and light brown hair, she was beautiful," Daisy would say, always with tears forming sorrowfully in her eyes.

"What about Daddy?" he would then ask each time, and receive the same response without fail.

"I don't know, I can't remember him and Samuel never tells us about either of them."

"Is it because he misses them?"

"I think so. He definitely misses Aria, she was his only child."

Blue snapped his thoughts to the present, refusing to let his emotions bubble inside of him anymore. He flicked through the television channels on his PokeNav, a gift from Erik upon agreeing to join the resistance, until finding 'Kanto National News' where he stopped dead. Giovanni stood proudly alongside the Governor of Kanto, the duo surrounded by reporters who craved updates from the war in Johto. The neighbouring regions were locked in a presumed stalemate, where the forces of Kanto fought against the governing family of Johto as Team Rocket sought to expand their empire.

"...so no, not true," the Governor of Kanto finished. Blue cursed himself for not tuning in sooner.

"So there's no stalemate?" an eager reporter bellowed towards the Governor, who was named Archer. Blue knew him well, having studied the tall, but slender man with the Rocket Resistance. Unknowingly to the common man, he had risen to power on the back of bribes and extortion as Team Rocket aided their puppet ruler his entire seventeen year career, the criminal organisation funding his entire campaign. He had been elected through a resounding number of votes from the common people nine years ago, and in two electoral votes since his opponents had either suddenly backed out, disappeared unexpectedly, or thrown their own campaigns with seemingly amateurish mistakes.

"No," Archer replied confidently, wearing his tailored white suit and staring down his gathered audience with menacing dark eyes. His blonde hair was combed back revealing a widow's peak which matched his pencil-thin eyebrows. "In fact, it's very much the opposite."

Giovanni puffed out his chest triumphantly beside him, a smile stretching across his face. The Team Rocket boss seemed attached at the hip to Archer, whenever the Governor of Kanto gave a speech or held office, Giovanni was there, making sure he influenced each and every decision made.

"I hand you over to our esteemed Foreign Minister, Giovanni, to give you a proper explanation."

"Thank you, Governor." Giovanni loomed over the audience, wearing his infamous black suit with the purple tie. "As you all know, my wife Courtney leads our forces as Defence Minister of Kanto. Our military are our protectors, and they are pushing back the Raven family's trainers."

A resentful hubbub stirred within the audience at the Raven name, joined together with a couple of hisses from reporters. The Raven family had once ruled Johto and Kanto as one, with the eldest son inheriting the high seat after the current incumbent, usually his father, had passed. The leadership was passed from generation to generation until Giovanni himself had pushed them from Kanto over twenty years ago, earning himself a high position within the reformed Kanto government. The propaganda told the people of Kanto that the Ravens had become corrupt, and were intent on garnering more and more power by nefarious means.

"I remember all those years ago," Giovanni's voice boomed towards the audience. "When the Ravens ruled Kanto and were so close to unleashing their ultimate manufactured weapon upon us. The weapon would've destroyed the entire region. But we defeated them." He paused, letting his words sink in. "Now they are finally almost vanquished from the planet. It is a day to rejoice in. A day to take pride in. My lifelong mission is almost complete." He lied about that being his mission, Blue knew. "And both Kanto and Johto are nearly united under a free government, elected by the people. The Ravens will be no more." Cheers erupted from the brainwashed audience, who truly believed every word Giovanni uttered.

Blue knew the truth, Giovanni wanted total power, which meant total control. After Johto had fallen he would direct his focus onto Hoenn and launch a full assault on the island, the world would be was his mission.

"Thank you, Giovanni," Archer chirped. "We really do owe our lives to both you and to our trainers led by Courtney over in Johto." The Team Rocket leader stepped back with a smile and a nod. "Now to our own lands, and the free trainers of Kanto." Archer continued and Blue noted the emphasis he placed the word 'free', almost as if people within his lands actually were. "Round one of our Champions tournament is almost complete, and the matchups for round two will be announced tomorrow. Once round two is complete we move to the next stage of our competition, 'North vs South'. Whichever trainers are located within the northern sector of our region will fight each other, and the same goes for the south. There will be a single round at this stage before we progress to the next stage, which will encompass the whole region and be will be the last stage before the finals themselves!" he announced, to excited whispers from reporters in the crowd.

"Blue switched the PokeNav off. "I need to find out where Erik is, or at least what Rocket plans to do next to further their power," he decided. "I hope Leaf and Wally haven't lost already," he said then chuckled to himself.

* * *

Leaf followed the dirt trail which snaked through the forest, clinging onto the track as if falling off into the dark gloom beyond meant certain death. Gas lanterns hung on poles to the path's flanks, aided infrequently by a fading, dappled sunlight which trickled through the canopies as oak, beech, pine and cedar trees dominated the skies. The lack of light only added to the foreboding feeling at the pit of her stomach.

A Pidgey startled her, flapping passed her in the darkness as it fled in terror. Wild Pokemon had been scattering in all directions since the moment Leaf had entered Viridian Forest, hoping to escape whatever it was that threatened them. Weedles and Caterpie slithered towards the safety of the blackness, climbing trees to hide within or burying themselves in thick bushes. Flying types either ascended out of sight or exited the forest itself, the panic caused by what awaited Leaf had frightened them out of their homes.

"What could scare wild Pokemon so much?" Leaf asked her team who walked with her. She feared walking alone so allowed the group to escort her through the woods towards their target.

They trawled on, deeper into the woods that connected Viridian City to Pewter City. Leaf thought they must be well over halfway through, much closer to Pewter City now than to Viridian, but still the darkness showed no sign of receding and the 'metal monster' still hadn't appeared to her.

Leaf bristled as she almost tripped on a Caterpie. The creature lay prone on the ground, unflinching. She lifted her eyes from the defeated Pokemon to see a trail of horror. Some wild Pokemon still shook as they lay on the floor, clinging onto the last essences of their life, whilst others remained as still as stone. Weedles lay atop Caterpie, Pidgeys and Rattatas held together in joint doom and Kakuna and Metapod, the evolved forms of Weedle and Caterpie respectively, shivered as their life faded. The wild Pokemon lay sprinkled across the pathway and into the surrounding darkness, Leaf refused to count them, instead vowing to avenge them.

A Caterpie that had been pretending to be dead suddenly awoke and fled as Leaf approached. She watched the creature until sudden movement ahead caught her eye. A man was sprinting towards her, or maybe away from something. He must've only been in his early twenties and bore a bright blue cap with yellow shorts.

"Run!" he bellowed at her.

"What from?" she asked, wishing to get further details of the beast.

"I don't know," he replied. She noticed that he ran with a limp, as if the monster had attacked him as well. Leaf realised that the beast may not have been a Pokemon, wild creatures only very rarely attack a human, and that's only if their children or homes have been threatened. Or if it was an extremely aggressive Pokemon.

"Is it a Pokemon?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"No!" he replied, not stopping as he ran passed her.

"Human then?" she shouted after him.

"No!" he answered once more, then was gone.

"What could it be," she whispered to her Pokemon, who shared her apprehension. She looked around in confusion but was met only by eery silence. Fang and Rex walked closely together, their tails lifted into the air nervously. They had grown closer since the battle with Sammy Anthony, although Leaf noticed that Fang hadn't managed to touch Rex yet. When Rattata fell in love they nuzzled another, rubbing their long noses together and Leaf could see Fang's desperation to do so, but thus far Rex remained stubborn.

Fury and Jab remained good friends, still on good terms with Fang but slightly bitter he had abandoned their friendship for the Rex. Dino walked to the other side of Leaf, he was their leader and she sensed that her Bulbasaur felt a leader couldn't be friends with the Pokemon he led.

The trail bended around trees, looping back on itself to the other side. Leaf rounded the corner, as the forest brightened on the other side. Then she caught her first glimpse of the infamous metal monster.

It loomed in a clearing, lurking in the open where the treeline thinned and allowed sunlight to illuminate the open space of grass. Leaf desperately looked for an escape. She could see where the trail carved through the clearing and looped back around to another gate, lit up by lights and lanterns. She guessed that was the exit towards Pewter City, but in front of it lay the clearing, and dominating the clearing was a beast standing at over eight feet tall and constructed entirely of metal.

A headlight burst brightness from its head which was shaped into an almost humanlike metal face. The creature raised two arms in the shape of launchers at a group of wild Caterpie who fled from it, terrified. The left arm launched a series of Pokeballs at the fleeing Pokemon, capturing them and sucking the capsules back inwards.

It was then that the beast noticed Leaf. Other trainers would've fled before deciphering the monster, but she instead stood firm and studied the beast, realising that it wasn't a creature, but instead a battlesuit. Like the ones in the plans which were stolen from Team Magma in Hoenn, before the group were defeated by Erik.

The man within raised his right arm, and launched a legion of Pokeballs that erupted from inside, the captured Pokemon springing forth and reluctantly fighting for the metallic titan. The suit itself had enough power to fight, so Leaf knew she was forced to first defeat what must've been twenty or so Pokemon, then the battlesuit itself.

"It's Team Rocket," Leaf gasped upon her realisation. "They've developed the battlesuit. It was designed to capture all the wild Pokemon around it and use them in battle. It's a war machine, so what's it doing here?"

"Perish," a metallic voice boomed from within the machine, the menacing voice causing the hairs on the back of Leaf's neck to stand on end.

"Team…" she stammered, speaking to her Pokemon. "We...We fight," she said, unaware she was even saying so. Her Pokemon looked to each other, then to their trainer and nodded, stepping out before her to fight the horde of Rattata, Caterpie, Weedle, Metapod, Kakuna and Pidgey.

Her Pokemon charged to meet with wild creatures under control of the battlesuit. Fury led the assault, leaping into a mix of Rattata, Caterpie and Weedle before swinging his fists in a relentless rage. Dino hung back, preferring to lash vines towards the airborne Pidgey, whipping the flying types and forcing them to ground where they were met by Rex and Fang. The duo remained inseparable on the battlefield, mainly due to the overprotective male refusing to let Rex out of his sight, for fear of losing her in the melee. Jab joined the conflict last, slower than the rest he engaged in a duel with Kakuna and Metapod, wrapping his opponents in string whilst avoiding ferocious tackles from the bug Pokemon.

Leaf cast her eyes over the carnage as it unfolded. A couple of Pidgey swooped at Dino, pecking at the Bulbasaur whilst others tumbled from the sky after being stricken by lethal vines, crashing atop fallen Caterpie and Rattata, who had been pummelled mercilessly by Fury's wild lunges. Rex leapt then feinted at a Rattata, who fell right into her trap. Her foe attacked in retaliation, missing completely as Rex darted to the side and left her opponent exposed for a bite from Fang. Then she noticed Jab, a Metapod lay defeated next to him, wrapped in a cocoon of string, but her Weedle now lay prone on the soft dirt, flinching limply as a Metapod and two Kakuna hobbled towards him to finish their work.

It was Fang who noticed first, the Rattata abandoning Rex to save his friend. He skittered through the fallen Pokemon, ducking under Fury's wild swing as the Mankey attacked anything within sight in an uncontrollable frenzy. Fang dodged a falling Pidgey which crashed next to him, then tripped over an unseen Caterpie which lay unmoving. Leaf's Rattata tumbled as his trainer pulled out Jab's Pokeball, then regained his footing and leapt through the air. He plunged his fangs into a Kakuna who was closest to Jab, dismounted the bug and growled at the approaching Kakuna and Metapod as Leaf recalled her Weedle into its capsule.

Dino lashed out a vine, cracking it against the final Pidgey's skull. Fury stuttered, wobbled, then collapsed in exhaustion, realising he had defeated all the Pokemon surrounding him. Rex joined Fang in finishing the fight against Jab's opponents, then both slumped to their knees joining Fury in their fatigued state. Dino also appeared worn out, but the quintet of Pokemon had managed to emerge victorious against the metal beast's captured Pokemon.

"Surrender!" Leaf called out to the battlesuit.

A slight chuckle sounded out in response, the sound contorted by a metallic modifier within. "I've not even started," the man nestled inside replied. He raised the suction arm once more, pointing it around the nearly trees and bushes in an effort to capture more wild Pokemon to unleash at Leaf's weakened fighters. But none came. All had either fled or already been captured and defeated.

"Surrender," Leaf repeated, with less conviction this time. She had realised they still had to deal with the suit itself.

"My turn," the man replied triumphantly, skulking up to Dino, Rex, Fang and Fury. Each monstrous foot landed with a metallic thud as it smashed into the forest floor. The machine moved slowly, but appeared almost impenetrable.

Fury charged to frightened calls from Leaf. Her Mankey ignored her trainers cries of retreat, instead flailing at the battlesuit and crashing into its leg with his fist. A cry of pain resounded from the Pokemon, who was then launched into the air by mighty kick. Fury flew back towards his friends, smashing into the surface to a howl of agony.  
Rex, Fang and Dino prepared themselves despite their exhaustion as the battlesuit aimed for their trainer, who stood firm. Leaf trusted in her Pokemon despite the impossible odds because for now faith was all she had.

Her Pokemon bristled, fear surging through them, but so too was hope. Leaf's pure belief in her friends sparked a desire within them, a feeling that they had to repay their trainer by protecting her at all costs. Rex nodded to Fang, she would be the decoy. Dino whipped out vines that lashed all around the suit as the female Rattata tentatively tiptoed towards the looming beast.

Rex darted from side to side, avoiding wild lunges and kicks by the monster as she circled the battlesuit, hoping to discern a weak spot for Fang to attack. As the beast turned its back on the group, Leaf regarded the design. What appeared to be a power unit clung between the shoulders, the black box pumping power through the suit's limbs. Dino read her thoughts.

Leaf's Bulbasaur whipped his vines at the box, smashing the canes against the black to no effect apart from causing miniature dents. The battlesuit reacted, grabbing one of the vines out of the air and pulling Dino towards itself. Leaf screamed as the monster pummelled the Bulbasaur with a metal fist, then picked up her Pokemon and used the vine to hurl Dino towards the bushes. Her Bulbasaur disappeared within as Leaf scrambled for his Pokeball, but it was too late. She was unable to recall him and the Bulbasaur failed to emerge from the shrubbery.

"Why did I try to play hero," she asked herself, feeling her eyes well up with tears and hope fade from within. "Now I've lost Dino." She glanced back towards Rex who dodged punches from the beast, the fists creating holes in the ground where the landed. Fang joined her in circling the monster, trying to find an opening or a weakness. "Retreat, back to me!" she called to them, refusing to lose another Pokemon. The infatuated duo obeyed, to their peril.

A fist flew through the air, smashing into Rex and sending the female Rattata sprawling across the dirt. Fang sprinted over to her, wailing in anguish.

"You can't run!" the man within roared gleefully. "Not from me."

"Rex…" Leaf gasped, her voice barely a whisper as a lone tear rolled down her cheek. "Not you...Not you…"

Fang stared into Rex's eyes, brushing his cheek against hers. She regarded him with a smile, clinging on to the last remnants of her life solely to say goodbye to Fang. She leaned in, and nuzzled his cheek and he nuzzled hers. That was the way Rattata showed they loved each other, Leaf knew. Her nuzzling grew ever more feeble, until she stopped and lay her head to rest.

"Look at this," the beast taunted. "What even is this, two pathetic creatures loved each other?" he laughed at the thought. Leaf couldn't move, beside her Fury weakly climbed back to his feet, the fight drained from him.

Fang remained at Rex's side, softly rubbing his head against hers, then stopped. She was gone. Leaf notice the rage swelling within him, a rage only possible by one desire, vengeance. Fang turned towards the beast and howled. Then charged to the monster's laughs.

Fang darted to the side of one punch, then leapt around a kick before climbing up the back of the battlesuit and plunging his fangs deep within the power unit at the back. Electricity sparked and surged through the Rattata, but he held his ferocious grip. The entire suit began to leak electricity, voltage swimming across the metal and rendering the machine immobile. Fang held on as long as he could, then slunk to the floor and skittered back towards Leaf, who had withdrawn the fallen Rex into her Pokeball.

A stiff, dull clanking sound began to resonate from the top of the battlesuit, becoming louder as the helmet shifted upwards, sliding off the top of the suit and revealing the wearer within. He had a young face, with golden hair and green eyes which seemed to flare with venom. The man clambered out of the suit, leaping to avoid the sparks of electricity and landing on the forest floor, his thin mouth contorting into a grin.

"Team Rocket," Leaf growled as she remarked the man's uniform; A black shirt with purple tie befitting of a standard Rocket grunt. He bore the letter 'R' stitched above his left breast in a dark blood-red.

"Your team are falling," the grunt spoke. His metallic voice had been replaced with a much less menacing and higher pitched tone. "And I still have my own Pokemon left to fight you with."

Fang trotted out to meet the challenge and braced himself, roaring in fury at the grunt. Fury marched out feebly to join his comrade in battle. Rex and Dino were gone and Jab was too weak for battle, it was up to the exhausted and weakened Rattata and Mankey to defeat the grunt's Growlithe and Pidgey.

Leaf gasped as Fang charged carelessly, Fury ailing in his efforts to keep pace with the Rattata. Her Pokemon grappled onto the Growlithe with his teeth, as the grunt's fire type Pokemon yelped in canine-like creature shook Fang from its orange fur striped with hues of black, afterwards shaking its cream coloured mane. It was a proud Pokemon, who retaliated to the assault by combining savage bites with spits of fire against Leaf's Rattata. Fury joined the fray, saving Fang at the last moment by tackling the Rattata to avoid a burst of raw flame. The fires blazed past the duo and crashed into the bushes, causing them to ignite.

"Set it all ablaze!" the grunt encouraged his Pokemon. His Pidgey hovered above the battle, letting the Growlithe toil and tussle whilst it remained in relative safety. The fire type Pokemon obeyed his trainer, launching flames at trees, grass and bushes to trap Leaf and her Pokemon within. Flames rose from the grass and bushes, licking up as they wildly attempted to escape the forest and touch the sky. The fires encircled Leaf, surrounding her, Fang and Fury in a half-ring of fire to howls of laughter from the crazed grunt.

The Growlithe leapt on the panicked Fang, plunging his own razor-sharp fangs deep within the Rattata. Fury tried to help his friend, but feared risking a punch incase he struck the wrong target by mistake. Leaf stepped forward a few paces, fully aware of the wildfire beginning to swallow larger amounts of the forest, the flames greedily spreading themselves over the terrain. Even the Team Rocket grunt began to look slightly anxious now, quivering a step or two backwards.

Fury swung a fist in desperation, his lunge striking the Growlithe who yelped once more and released his grip on Fang. Leaf's Rattata slumped to the ground, both its energy and willpower fully drained. Whilst Fury and the Growlithe circled another, the Pidgey swept downwards, arcing its beak towards the Rattata. Fang saw the approaching flying type and remained motionless, bereft of spirit. Leaf sensed her male Rattata wished to join Rex in whatever afterlife Pokemon went to, but also felt a big part of Fang needed to survive, to live his life to the full and not abandon his friends.

"Two Rattata down," the grunt announced when he saw the Pidgey reach the Rattata, until he was robbed of his glee at the last second. Leaf had recalled Fang into his Pokeball, saving her Rattata and breaking the Kanto rules, although she knew that because it wasn't an official trainer battle, it didn't matter.

"Fury let's go!" Leaf shouted to her Mankey, then saw her efforts were in vain when she turned. Fire hissed and crackled all around her, blocking the pathway back through the forest in a wall of angry flame.

"I'm outta here!" the grunt cried as he turned and ran towards the exit towards Pewter City, leaving his two Pokemon to bar Leaf and Furys' retreat.

"What do I do?" Leaf called out to noone. The Pidgey eyed her threateningly, to say that if she dared try and escape it would attack her. "Fury!" she wailed to her Pokemon helplessly.

Her Mankey responded by fleeing his panic by entering into his more accustomed berserk battle frenzy. Fury charged at the Growlithe, wildly swinging his fists and pummeling the fire type into the ground, exposing himself to the Pidgey. Whilst the grunt's Growlithe lay defeated on the floor, his Pidgey swiped downwards, launching a barrage of pecks and aerial assaults on Fury.

Leaf ran. It was her only opportunity. She clasped Fury's Pokeball in her hand and ran, diverting the Pidgey's attention towards herself as she recalled the Mankey into its capsule and to safety. Then she stopped running.

Flames licked out from the one side, marking her skin black. The fires seemed to follow her from behind, closing in on her and trapping her with the Pidgey which now lurked in the air before her, willing to sacrifice its own life to take her own.

"I tried," she whispered, picturing Erik in her mind. "I tried to be like you, to be the hero. But I've failed." The Pidgey gawked victoriously, a shrill piercing sound. The sound was joined by another, a growl almost drowned out by the roaring flame. She thought of her parents, a brief flare of anger at her mother, and a somber feeling at the thought of her father. "I'm sorry," she whispered to them as the flames reached out to take her.

A growl sounded again, closer this time. Movement materialised in the trees to the side of her which was less impeded by fire. Something swung from the trees, then fell through the air battered and bruised. The vines it had used to swing unravelled from the tree and lashed out to strike the Pidgey, before the Pokemon itself crashed into the airborne bird. It was Dino, her Bulbasaur had saved up. Leaf picked up her Pokemon who lay unmoving in the dirt and sprinted towards the gate.

* * *

A horde of water Pokemon sprinkled the furious flames, unleashing a barrage of foamy spray to calm the raging fire as dusk descended.

Leaf stared solemnly at the scene. She had retreated towards the gate, finding the grunt captured there by citizens of Pewter City who had been alerted by a forest wildfire. She had taken a while to regain herself, her whole body immobilised and movement replaced by a relentless shaking in her bones. It had given her time to realise how Dino had been able to save her. Her Bulbasaur must've been extremely weak and lay prone in the thorn bush for a while as spikes from the shrubs pricked his skin. The fires must've forced him towards a tree, where he had then used his vines to climb to the top and from there he had mustered the energy to swing down and save her. She still cradled Dino in her arms, refusing to release the Bulbasaur.

"Ready?" Brock asked her, she had been too deep in thought to have noticed him walk towards her. The mayor of Pewter City had found her at the edges of Viridian Forest after having been attracted by the chaotic loud noises and forest fires. He stood tall and proud, a look contradicted by his outfit. He bore loose fitting cargo pants and an orange sweater that countered his stern look, he had dark skin and his tawny brown hair was a spiky mess. He had been the first responder to the scene, followed by a plethora of concerned citizens and willing helpers.

"Ready," Leaf spoke weakly, faltering in her attempts to sound assured.

"You still want to let him go?"

"If…" she spoke, then took a moment to relax herself. "If he tells us the truth."

"He'll run straight to his bosses."

"I know, won't you be in trouble?" she asked him, before realising the general populace didn't know the link between Rocket and the government.

"I'm not scared of a petty criminal organisation, even if half Kanto's army consists of them," he said happily. He seemed to take life at ease, every incident could be turned into a joke and every insult put down to a friendly jibe. They approached the grunt, who was flanked by two of Brock's assistants in case he attempted to escape.

"What you want?" he growled at Leaf. "How'd you even escape?"

"What were you doing in the forest?" she growled at him, feeling a rage swell inside her. Dino channelled her emotions and growled angrily at the grunt.

"Playing in my costume," he replied with a grin. The battlesuit had been destroyed by the flames before they could recover it.

"Look," Brock intervened. "We're willing to let you go. We just need to find out what all this was about."

"As I said," the grunt replied, a grin still plastered across his face. "Was just playing."

Dino lashed him with a vine, smacking the grunt in the face to gasps from Brock and his assistants.

"Tell us now!" Leaf demanded.

"Calm…" Brock started, before she quieted him with a glare.

"You killed my Rex! You are part of Rocket!" she spoke with an uncontrollable anger.

"Alright alright," the grunt whimpered. "I'll tell you just let me go, yeah?"

"If you're honest."

Brock remained silent.

"The suit was a prototype. We used plans we stole from Team Magma back in Hoenn and have finally developed one of the suits successfully. Least I know its weakness is the power unit at the back. Oh and fire. Oh and it moves slow."

"What was it doing here?" she demanded, cutting him off for she was desperate that the grunt get to the point.

"It needed field testing," he stammered.

"They're going to be used in the war on Johto?" Brock broke his silence.

"No," the grunt replied. "That war's almost won."

"What are they going to be used for?" Leaf asked, a calmness returning to her voice.

"The next war. The war we won't win without all these exper…" he cut off, realising he had said too much.

"There's more? More things you're experimenting with?" she asked, but knew the answer by the look on his face. "What things?"

"I don't know, it's all top secret, I just know they're trying some really dark stuff. I'm not exactly a good guy, but even I think they might be going too far."

"You said the next war," Brock asked. "Which war?"

"The war on Hoenn," he answered reluctantly. "And they want to crush the Resistance for good. I take it that's you?" he asked Leaf, who tried her best to act surprised.

"I'm not Resistance," she lied. "I heard of a 'metal monster' in the woods so went to investigate."

"Whatever," he replied, believing her. "Can I go? That's all I know, I promise."

Brock looked to Leaf who nodded, then turned her back on the grunt. She heard him run and sensed the fear in him. She had defeated the monster and obtained valuable information, but at the cost of Rex and the most terrifying moment of her life so far. She began to weep softly.


	6. Identity

**Chapter Five - Identity**

Pokemon roamed the planet long before the age of humanity arrived, ruling land and sea unperturbed by mankind. The subject fascinated Leaf, the creatures that skulked the land, sea and skies were far different to those that lived today. Titanic beasts crawled across the lands, ferocious and unforgiving. Most Pokemon armoured themselves in thick shells or featuring lethal weapons to defend themselves or else took to the skies or seas in efforts to escape these monstrous beings.

It is the fossil of a Kabuto she looked at now, the crystallized dome the only remnant of an ancient creature. Leaf regarded the frozen brown shell that covered its entire body in the shape of a dome, and the four small yellow legs protruding out from underneath. She yearned to touch the fossil out of fascination, but left it to lie peacefully on the velvet cloth and allowed the museum guide to reattach the top of the glass case.

"They're so amazing," Leaf said, recalling the other fossilised remains of ancient Pokemon as they strolled through the Pewter City Museum of History. She spotted some alien rock in one of the many cases, extracted from Mt Moon. The site had been damaged by a meteor falling from space a few years ago, the falling boulder crashing through the mountain and exploding into fragments within. Alien stones had been sprayed inside the mountain as a result, almost all of which appeared harmless.

Leaf recognised the power of alien rocks from ones which landed in Hoenn. They were stones which forced evolution upon Pokemon, the majority of which were named 'Megastones' and forced Mega-Evolution upon the soul which became linked to the rock. The result was the Pokemon in question being transformed into a much more powerful creature, but one which was dark and out of control. No trainer that Leaf knew of had ever tamed a Mega-Evolved beast, the dark Pokemon having only two interests; Dominance and destruction. It would kill and destroy anything within sight. There were also other stones, named after their colour and shape such as 'Fire Stones' or 'Water Stones' which evolved the Pokemon they were used on in a much friendlier manner. Luckily, Mt Moon either appeared to feature none of these stones or worrying, she feared that Team Rocket had got there first.

"That's the tour," the man, named Alfred, announced. He was a stout, elderly man with a leather cap and bushy white moustache. "Hope you enjoyed it."

"Thanks for the free tour mister!"

"Not a problem. You helped our fine city by defeating that monster!"

Leaf smiled in reply then strolled towards the exit and back out into Pewter City. In truth, the 'city' was more of a town, with dull grey hues and small buildings constructed of stone which now basked in moonlight. The museum was one of the only two buildings of note within the locale alongside Brock's old rock-type Pokemon Gym, which he now used as a mayoral hall.

Citizens traversed the streets carelessly though all was at peace. The quaint city reminded Leaf of her hometown in Johto, Cherrygrove City. She had spent the first nineteen years of her life fixated on the research and study of Pokemon ancient and present. From her early years Leaf had been obsessed with finding out all she could about all the different creatures of the planet, frequently travelling to the Pokemon laboratory in the neighbouring New Bark Town to aide the local professor there.

She would've happily dedicated her whole life to the laboratory and even dreamt of becoming the chief professor herself, until her mother left. She recalled the tearful farewell a few days after she'd turned eighteen and how forlorn her father had been. Her mother declared that she had craved adventure, she had been a former trainer but had settled down to raise Leaf. Once her only child had reached adulthood she had decided to abandon their harmonic existence to return to her old ways. They had not spoken since. In the year afterwards Leaf had become disillusioned with her life in Cherrygrove.

"What will you do?" her father had asked Leaf months after her mother had departed.

"I might leave," she informed him. He was a tall man, with brown skin and dark caring eyes. "I've spent my life here, I want to go far away to exotic lands and learn all there is to know about Pokemon."

"I understand," he replied, pained cracks within his deep voice. "You should further yourself."

"I want to prove to you I can manage on my own," she said, eyes welling up.

"Will you go and find your mother? I believe she is still within Johto."

"No, I want to avoid her, she abandoned us."

"She wanted to follow her dreams."

"I know, but we had such a good life together. Now it just feels empty."

"I love you, my special little girl." He suddenly burst into tears and hugged her. "And I'm so proud of you."

"I love you too Daddy," she said and joined him in tears. "I want to go to Hoenn. The Pokemon there are so different to ours and there's loads to learn out there."

So on that day four years ago she had travelled to the lands of Hoenn, studying Pokemon and collecting fossils. Until she had met Erik, where she then joined forces with him, Archie and Wally to fight Maxie of Team Magma and Team Rocket. A life completely different to what she had imagined, but one she didn't regret. She still missed her father tremendously, but stubbornly refused to let him know, instead wanting him to think that was she was managing just fine on her own, for his sake. Despite all this, Leaf dreamed she would one day return to Cherrygrove City, when the world was at peace.

"Dad!" she yelped as her phone burst into life. She scrambled around her pocket in hope it was her father, feeling her heart sink like a stone when the number read 'unknown caller'.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hello," a metallic voice greeted her. She instantly recognised it as Silver's. Her heart thrashed against her chest and her head swam with a million thoughts until she cooled herself. She could not reveal she knew who he was, in fear of revealing herself as a member of the Rocket Resistance.

"Who is this?" she managed, hoping he hadn't yet discerned her identity.

"Leaf Fuguri, I'm told you interfered with a Rocket operation," ignoring Leaf and had instead accusing her, referring to the incident in the woods.

"A machine was attacking people and Pokemon, I had to do something," she blurted, attempting to convey an innocence that would belie her true intentions.

"I'm told you're not one of the Rocket Resistance, so why didn't you leave our operation alone," he said, ignoring her answer. She breathed a sigh of relief, the grunt Leaf had let go after the battle must've informed him of her exact words.

"I told you, it was at-"

"Attacking people and Pokemon," his monotonous voice cut her off. "But you still interfered with a Rocket operation, and that must be punished."

"But I didn't know!" she pleaded. "And I'm not even Resistance."

"Then you won't be punished as Resistance, and because the whole of Pewter City is reportedly supporting you in this, I won't revoke your trainer's licence."

"Thank you," she replied with another sigh of relief.

"No surprise?"

"Sorry?" she gasped. "What do you mean?"

"Surely you'd be surprised that a Rocket operative could revoke a trainer's licence. How could a criminal organisation have so much power, Cecilia?"

She stopped dead, her whole body froze. How did he know the name she had gone by in Hoenn. "Cecilia?" she squeaked, thinking Erik may have revealed her under torture, or there was a possible traitor in Hoenn.

"Because of the support of Pewter's civilians I can't outright rescind your licence in fear of revolt. But I can do the next best thing to both you and Wally."

"Wally? Leave him out of this!" she demanded.

"Oh and Blue."

"Erik," she growled. "Did he tell you?"

"No, but Blue was a guess, thanks for the confirmation."

She paused, lost for words. There was so many questions she needed to ask, but she knew she would get no answer.

"Have you known since the start?" Leaf enquired as to how he found out their identities. "Since you captured Erik or before?" she followed quickly.

"No. I was told about Wally and Cecilia by our informant in Hoenn. I sent my father's old friend Jaspar to defeat Wally but he somehow lost. You on the other hand, were a ghost."

"Who's the informant?"

"But once we heard our machine was defeated by a 'Leaf Fuguri'," he continued, ignoring her. "I showed our informant a picture of you and he confirmed your identity as Cecilia."

"So what's our punishment?" she quivered.

"You know the old Gym Leaders? Well they're all still in the tournament, and as I'm sure the Resistance knows, Team Rocket can arrange your matchups. It's just a shame you're all in different sectors or else I'd have put you against each other."

"So we're to face Gym Leaders?" she said in horror.

"You're to face Brock of Pewter City, Blue is to face Misty of Cerulean City and Wally will battle Surge of Viridian City. Oh, and the informant is Steven Stone," he revealed. "You're all going out the tournament then we'll capture you ourselves," he finished, then hung up the phone.

Steven Stone, the old Champion of Hoenn. He was known to secretly work for Team Rocket in the island region before Erik defeated him and imprisoned the man. But why reveal him? Unless, she suddenly understood, he was already safely within Kanto and ready to be used within the tournament against the Resistance if need be.

She thought of Blue and Wally, proudly realizing that the two must have progressed through the tournament if they were now facing former Gym Leaders. Wally had also defeated a man named Jasper, a trainer powerful enough to be called an old friend by Giovanni.

"Well done Wally," she said and smiled, wondering how the young trainer fared.

* * *

Wally coughed, a mix of woodsmoke and the night's chill causing his asthma to flare. Trees closed in before the camp which nestled neatly at the edge of a forest, a rock face protecting their rear. He had scanned the campsite many times for an exit after they had removed his blindfold, leading him to spot several possible routes to freedom and because he remained unbound, a constant urge to escape gripped him.

Hooded figures shifted between firelight, either tending to the flames which crackled and hissed or chattering freely to one another, each Servant featuring a different coloured trim on their robe. All wore black cloaks, all but two. There was Ethan in gold, but Wally had also spotted a woman not long ago staring across the grass at him before entering one of the tents that infested the campsite. She had bore a cloak of silver.

Ethan stood proudly in full gold at the centre of the encampment, delivering a sermon to a group of Servants who sat cross-legged before him. In the centre of the camp stood a table wrapped in cloth, the cotton clearly hiding something underneath, a spherical object that the Servants avoided like a disease.

Wally clambered to his feet wearily, shaking the stiffness out of his legs. He had sat unflinching for what must have been a couple of hours at least, studying the Servants whilst not daring to move. Ethan had left him to travel freely through the encampment, asking him if he wished to leave on the condition that he allowed a Servant to attach a blindfold and escort him back towards Vermillion City.

"Still here then?" Ethan called over to him, he had noticed that Wally was now standing.

"Who are you people?" Wally asked, noticing that the Servants sat listening to Ethan now bowed their heads, then got up and walked away.

"Servants," Ethan replied with a smile.

"And what do 'Servants' do?" Questions only ever seemed to raise more questions with these people. Their intentions were unclear, and who they served even more so.

"We serve." Ethan still smiled, as if his reply gave a solid answer.

"Who? Who do you serve?" Wally remained calm, it wasn't in him to get angry. Even if he felt a tinge of irritation.

"Our God and his angels."

"And who is your God?" Wally asked flatly.

"Ah," Ethan replied with a more concerned look now. "Our God is all around us, in the animals we share this planet with." He had stopped smiling now and his face now contained a more serious, but still friendly, appearance.

"I don't understand." Wally took a moment whilst Ethan awaited the next part of his enquiries. He had never heard of this 'religion' that the harboured. "You serve Pokemon?"

"Yes and no. Pokemon are our servants, and we are His Servants," Ethan replied cryptically. "Join us, and we shall teach you all."

"I don't know what I would be joining."

"Then it is best we remain just friends." Ethan smiled. Wally paused, he was only more confused by the answers he was given. He thought it best to change the subject of his questioning.

"What's that hidden underneath the cloth on the table?" Wally asked in an effort to steer the path of conversation in a different direction. The friendly look on Ethan's face suddenly contorted into a look of either rage or fear.

"If you go near it, the Servants will kill you. Mention it again, and I will do it for them," Ethan spoke darkly, a contrast from his previously cheery tone.

"Why do all the robes have different coloured trims?" Wally hastily moved on, proving the point by looking around the camp as he asked, sighting shades of greens, blues, browns and more.

"The trim distinguishes us from another." The smile returned with his happy demeanour. "It tells us which members serve which types of Pokemon, the colour matching the type they serve. For instance, that Servant over there," he pointed to a Servant with a yellow trim, "is an electric type member."

"So why do you wear a full gold cloak?"

"Because I am second in command. That is why I have a name, I'm not just a Servant, but a teacher of His will."

"I saw someone wearing a silver cloak not long ago, I take it she's the leader?" Wally asked, remembering the women who glanced at him intriguingly with her deep brown eyes.

"That is Lyra, she is our great teacher. When He walks the planet again, she shall be by His side," Ethan said proudly.

"So your God isn't a spirit? It's a living being?" Wally asked, knowing he wore a plainly obvious quizzical look upon him.

"He is both." Ethan smiled, cryptical again.

"Why have you taken me prisoner?" Wally changed the subject, wanting to avoid yet more nonsensical answers.

"You are not our prisoner," a woman spoke. It was Lyra, her hood combining with the darkness to veil her face. "You are our guest." He could see her dark eyes pierce through the blackness and paused, her eyes seemed eerily familiar, but he could not place them.

"So why did you blindfold your guest?" he asked, still attempting to discern her identity

"Incase you refused our offer, so you wouldn't direct Rocket to where we lived."

"I don't work for Rocket!" Wally raised his voice slightly, immediately regretting the action as nearby Servants glanced over before resuming their discussion after a short while.

"We know," Lyra replied calmly. She copied Ethan's contagious smile. "You're Resistance, and we wish to enlist the aid of you."

"How did you know?" Wally said after he gasped.

"We were hoping to enlist Erik, but were unable to find his location," she replied, ignoring his question. It was clear then she didn't know of Erik's capture by Rocket. "But you or Leaf will do just fine, I hope."

"Fine in doing what?" He looked to Ethan, remarking the man wrapped in gold hadn't said a word since Lyra had approached although he still retained his infectious smile.

"Defeating the Devils whilst they war," Ethan hissed, the smile wiped from his face.

"Defeating one of the Devils that walk the planet," Lyra seemingly ignored Ethan's comment.

"Who are these Devils?" Wally asked, all the Servants in the camp had stopped talking and now stared towards them.

"Giovanni," Lyra spoke, to furious hisses from the Servants around the camp. "And Lord Raven of Johto."

"I don't understand," Wally whispered, unnerved by the attention on him.

"Giovanni destroyed my home," Ethan replied despondently. "I joined the Servants because I had nowhere to go, and I knew Lyra from my youth. She preached His ways to me."

"Please Ethan," Lyra responded damningly. "Don't let personal issues get in the way of His will."

"Sorry Lyra," he replied, then bowed his head and walked back towards the centre of camp. The rest of the Servants still gazed at Wally and Lyra.

"Forgiven," Lyra whispered. "Lord Raven," she spoke to Wally now, "leashed our God, calling Him his 'ultimate weapon', until Giovanni defeated Him in battle with the help of his great friend. Now we form our crusade against Giovanni, who will tell us the location of our Lord's Angels, they will help us in His rebirth."

"Giovanni's great friend, who's that?" Wally asked.

"We wish we knew," Lyra replied. "Do you agree to join us Wally. Join us in combining our strength against the mortal enemy?"

"The Rocket Resistance will take down Giovanni," Wally replied. It was their goal anyway, it wouldn't hurt to garner a little extra strength in order to do so.

"And question him as to the location of the Lord's Angels?" Lyra pressed him.

"If you lend us your strength against Team Rocket," Wally said and smiled.

"Agreed," she finished by standing and facing the Servants. "To battle!" she cried. "Let's take down the Devils!" A roar erupted from the Servants as they armed themselves with Pokeballs and prepared for war.

* * *

Leaf pushed aside the door and stepped into Brock's mayoral hall. Pewter's mayor was famous for using rock-types in battle, and his old Gym was constructed in a way to suit him. The interior of the building was enormous, but retained most of its old look as Leaf took care to avoid the fissures splattered across the stone surface as she approached the battlefield. She observed that the room was illuminated by lights which punched through treacherously sharp rocks jutting out of the walls and icicles of stone which clung to the roof. Leaf clasped Dino's Pokeball in anticipation, deciphering the arena and how best to defeat Brock. The floor rose in a few places to create rocky knolls, which would be tricky for her Bulbasaur to climb. She then looked to the flatter areas, noting the big boulder which nestled neatly atop cracks which carved their way through the surface.

"Fancy that," Brock broke the silence, a hand on one of his three Pokeballs. "Being matched up against one another."

"I'm being made to face a Gym Leader," Leaf spoke nervously.

"Former Gym Leader," Brock corrected her, retaining his carefree posture. "As punishment for interfering in Rocket affairs, I presume."

"I take it you know the link between them?"

"Very much so, it was obvious as a mayor and former Gym Leader, but there's not much we can do about it."

"I take it I'm facing all your best Gym Pokemon?" Leaf asked. Formally, Gym Leaders would be gifted a plethora of Pokemon by the government to use in battle. They'd then attempt to match their Pokemon in strength to their challenger's, either gaging their ability by studying them personally, or watching them in action against trainers who worked for the gym.

"Because the Gym was a government owned facility, they've taken away my Pokemon and gifted them to Team Rocket members instead, it's the same for all former Gym Leaders," Brock said solemnly.

"So those three Pokeballs?"

"Are Pokemon I've captured myself," Brock finished for her. This was good news, Leaf realised. Brock would've rushed to capture some Pokemon for battle, therefore they would be inexperienced and not given time to grow a bond with their trainer. But her opponent remained a formidable trainer, he had been a Gym Leader for a reason.

"I'm ready," Leaf spoke, feeling confidence return to her.

"May the best trainer triumph." Brock hurled a Pokeball towards the battlefield, a Geodude emerging from within. The grey Pokemon appeared as just a floating rock with arms, but this meant the rock-type could hover to anywhere within the erratic arena and remain unimpeded.

Leaf responded by letting Dino into the fray, her Bulbasaur skipping across the battlefield almost playfully. She knew her Pokemon had an advantage, being a grass type, but the Geodude had superiority of the terrain.

Dino struck first, lashing out a vine which cracked against a boulder as he missed, the Geodude spinning in the air to avoid the attack. Leaf's Bulbasaur recoiled at the impact, then whipped again, this time hitting its mark. Brock's Pokemon slammed into the one of the rock that erupted from the wall, but instead of feeling pain, simply bounced off.

"Try something else," Leaf commanded her Bulbasaur. Dino planted his feet firmly on the ground, and opened the bulb affixed to his back. The Geodude tentatively hovered over, playing a cautious game instead of attacking blindly. The Bulbasaur launched a seed from the bulb then watched the small object glide across the room, landing on Brock's Pokemon. It sprung into life, morphing into a parasitic plant which dug roots into the Geodude's skin and began leeching the life force from Brock's Pokemon.

Dino growled in delight at seeing his ploy work as Leaf caught Brock's look of disdain. The former Gym Leader nodded towards his Pokemon to begin his own offensive. Geodude floated towards the rock wall and used his powerful arms to wrench a handful of stone before launching the fragments at Dino. Leaf's Bulbasaur danced around the rocks, ducking and diving around the stone hailstorm until his trainer shouted at him to move, but it was too late.

Brock's Geodude had torn a larger portion of rock from the wall and had thrown it towards the roof, dislodging one of the rock icicles. Stone tumbled towards Dino, collapsing upon the Bulbasaur and burying him underneath.

"Dino!" Leaf shrieked, although after a few moments she spotted weak movement in the pile of rubble. Stone twitched as the Geodude approached to apply the finishing blow. Small sections of rock trickled down the stone pile before Dino emerged from within, greeting Brock's Pokemon who neared him with a feeble growl.

The Geodude pulled his arm back for a final swing as Dino still struggled to escape his rocky tomb, but collapsed onto the floor before he could launch the strike. Brock's rock-type lay twitching slightly on the floor then stopped, remaining still for a time until Leaf realised what had happened. The seed atop his head had drained the life from the creature, allowing her Bulbasaur to not only survive but claim victory.

Dino limply crawled back to Leaf until he had reached her side, then he collapsed. She scrambled for both a Pokeball and a potion, releasing Jab onto the battlefield before applying the healing spray to her exhausted Bulbasaur. It was her only potion; she had enough money to afford to stock up with possibly one or two more, but couldn't leave the Gym unless she forfeited the battle. Brock replied to her Weedle with a Sandshrew.

Brock's mouse-like creature had a scaly shell of yellow, with a soft cream underbelly and razor-like claws on both its hands and feet. It began by launching a furious assault on Jab, swiping and slashing with both claws until the Weedle pleaded for it to stop.

"Come back!" Leaf ordered Jab, knowing she had made a mistake in picking the Weedle for this fight. Her Pokemon slowly slithered towards her, attempting to flee the battle zone in order to be recalled whilst the Sandshrew recuperated. Brock's Pokemon had expended a large amount of energy using his all-out attack strategy and this had then allowed Jab to escape. The Sandshrew chased after his foe, using all four legs to gather speed, but it was too slow; Jab had fled the battle zone and Dino had reentered.

Sandshrew's charge had left it exposed and unable to flee Dino's vine whips. Leaf's Bulbasaur retained a type advantage over his foe, his attacks hurting Brock's Pokemon more than it would any other type and this allowed the Bulbasaur to finish the job with ease. Dino's foe slouched as he lashed vines against the creature until it was he was too tired to continue.

"I think you're going to beat me," Brock spoke without a hint of negative emotion. Then he laughed. "I think you're going to do well fighting Rocket. In fact, I'm considering giving up."

"You are?" Leaf said, shocked.

"But I can't do that. As a former Gym Leader I've got to keep going. So come on Leaf, prove to me that you are strong enough to fight our corrupt government's lackeys."

"I will." Leaf smiled, pulling Fury's Pokeball from her belt and sending her Mankey into the arena. Brock opened his final Pokeball, an Onix bursting into the centre of the field. The gigantic Pokemon was constructed entirely of a series of giant stones connected to each other and giving the rock-type a snake-like appearance.

Fury roared into his battle rage and leapt at his foe, pummelling the beast relentlessly as if he were unperturbed by the creature's hideous size. Onix shook his enormous frame, furiously causing the Mankey to fall and crash into the ground. Afterwards Brock's Pokemon swung his tail, smashing a rock downwards only for Fury to roll out of the way at the crucial moment.

"Fury," Leaf called out to her Pokemon who appeared set to launch another assault. "Think smart," she ordered, the command snapping her Mankey out of his frenzy.

Leaf's Pokemon searched the battlefield then sprinted towards a rocky knoll, trundling up the hill as if he was performing a rock climbing exercise. Onix saw his opponents movements then turned towards a boulder before swinging

his tail with such a force that Leaf almost felt as if the room moved. The stone was launched towards Fury, who positioned himself on a rock which jutted out of the knoll, then jumped. He landed atop the flying boulder and quickly leapt off, falling atop the knoll.

Onix launched another boulder towards Fury, who this time sprang upwards, grabbing onto the rock wall and climbing to the roof. Brock and Onix paused in unison, puzzled as to the Mankey's actions. Leaf just smiled, knowing that her Pokemon had channelled her thoughts which was the result of an ever stronger bond between the two. She watched as he reached the top of the wall, then crawled upside down across the roof before nearing the confused Onix.

"Now," Leaf roared once Fury had reached the space above her opponent. "Battle frenzy!"

Fury screeched a response, reentering his rage state and dropping from the roof, right onto the Onix's head where he could cause the most damage. The Mankey ran amok atop the beast, lashing out with fists and kicks, savagely striking anywhere he could. The Onix shook its head furiously, but Leaf's Pokemon clung on until a spoken command from Leaf made him jump off the Onix at the final moment. Brock's Pokemon smashed his head into the wall as his tail crashed against a knoll, the impact causing the room to shake violently as some of the looser rock icicles fell from the sky. Fury ran for cover as stone smashed into the Onix, burying the Pokemon within a rocky tomb much like Brock's Geodude had to Dino. But this time, the Pokemon buried in the rubble stayed there, unmoving. Leaf had defeated Brock.

"Woah," the mayor of Pewter City gasped, clearly astonished at the scene.

"Think I'm strong enough now?" Leaf spoke proudly. Her Pokemon had impressed her, especially Fury.

"Never doubted it!" Brock admitted with nervous laughter. "You're through to the next section of the competition then."

"Yeah, 'north and south' I think they're calling it."

"You gonna want to spend some time here, or you heading elsewhere?"

"Cerulean City," Leaf spoke impulsively. The plan had been for her, Wally and Blue to reconvene there.

"You'll have to pass through Mt Moon to get there then." Brock still smiled, as if he hadn't just lost a battle and been knocked out of the tournament in only the second round.

"The home of alien rock," Leaf followed, remembering what she had learned in the museum.

"You'd be lucky," Brock joked. "But knowing you…" he said without finishing the sentence, clearly making a jibe at her for being lucky in the battle between them. The two laughed genuinely, knowing that Leaf had won through skill and the bond with her team. She liked Brock, but now must say her farewells. Her journey led her elsewhere, towards Mt Moon, the supposed home of megastones.


	7. Expedition

**Chapter Six - Expedition**

Like a deflated balloon Fang slumped to the floor in an exasperated heap. Physically he was in fine form; strong, agile and alert after being retained within his Pokeball against Brock as Leaf feared using him against sturdy rock types, but mentally he was exhausted. She noticed that every waking moment the loss of Rex replayed on his mind like a video on loop which unendingly sapped his willpower like a parasite on the soul.

"Fang," Leaf whispered to her Rattata whilst sat cross-legged on a wooden stool, hungrily gulping down spoonfuls of fresh mushroom soup which happened to be the small rest house's speciality. "Come up here," she beckoned for her Pokemon so he wouldn't have to face the trials of his mind alone. Fang half-turned his head towards her, then dipped it depressively without the slightest hint of movement. His friends Jab and Fury had attempted to support him many times but he refused their attentions and preferred to be left to his solemn thoughts.

Dino purred from his stool next to Leaf, the Bulbasaur scooping up seeds with his vines before munching on them furiously. His greed was only matched by the Weedle and Mankey sat opposite. Jab and Fury plunged their hands into wooden bowls of seeds and repeatedly came close to knocking them off the table such was their appetite. Leaf's newest capture, a Spearow she'd named Beak, perched on a frame above them. The flying type with her long claws and sharp beak remained closed off to the rest of the group, biding her time in introducing herself to her new battle partners.

Boisterous laughter filled the room as two gentleman barked loudly to each other from a table closer to the serving counter. Leaf had chosen to remain tucked away in the corner of the hut, which was located near to the entrance of Mt. Moon and acted as a rest house for weary travellers.

Loud grumbles penetrated through the joyous atmosphere in the hut as a hefty man burst through the front door panting. He appeared both furious and upset as beads of sweat trickled down his face and into his thick black beard. The two men near the counter broke their conversation and looked to the man, who Leaf presumed was their friend.

"A outrage," the fat man bellowed. "A bloomin' scandal!"

"What's up Greg?" one of the men at the counter shouted across as Greg stormed towards them.

"The government that's what's up!" he boomed. Leaf listened intently, believing if he's mentioning the ruling powers of Kanto then Rocket will somehow be involved.

"What they done?" the second man asked, his voice humorously higher pitched. "They not putting them weight restrictions on trainers now is they?" He laughed at his own joke, to a ferocious glare from Greg.

"You'll feel my weight in a minute," Greg retorted. "They blocked off Mt. Moon 'int they. Tried gettin' pass the guard but 'es a tough ol' guy. Beat me team dead. All 'part from me Magikarp the useless thin'." He plucked the Pokeball from his belt and held it within his grasp.

"You still 'ave that thin'?" the man with the high pitch voice replied. Greg paused and noticed Leaf listening in from across the room.

"You a pretty thin' ent ya." He licked his lips then seemed to remember he was covered in sweat and had been completely embarrassed by whoever the guard on Mt. Moon was. "Ah ne'er mind. You want a free Pokemon? This here Magikarp is useless. Rather give it a pretty young lady like you than throw it in the bin."

"I'll take it," Leaf responded, feeling sorry for the unwanted water type. Magikarp were famous for being useless fish whose sole purpose on land was to flop both aimlessly and harmlessly, but she'd rather keep it herself than see it thrown away whilst trapped inside a Pokeball.

"He wants something in return though," the higher pitched man said and giggled after his joke.

Fury growled and turned to face the group, Jab slowly following. However, Dino just lashed out a vine and wrestled control of the Pokeball from Greg's hand, flicking the capsule across the room towards Leaf.

"Ah no fair!" the high pitched man called, but Greg just waved a hand to say he didn't care about the Pokemon.

"We're leaving," Leaf told her team as the three men resumed talking. She had decided to both take on this guard herself and to enter Mt. Moon and discover for herself what Rocket were attempting to do within. An uneasy feeling claimed her as she remembered the mountain was famous for Megastones and if Rocket found one of those they'd have access to an almost unstoppable power. She gathered her team with its new member, who she named Fin, then charged towards the lone man guarding the entrance.

* * *

"Halt," a hulking man bellowed as Leaf approached the entrance to Mt. Moon. Sand covered the rocky surface, a weak breeze feebly lifting the grains into the air to slightly distort her vision.

"Let me pass," Leaf demanded, her hand resting on Jab's Pokeball.

"I'm afraid Mt. Moon is inaccessible at the moment," the man declared. He bore a black suit and tie which granted his appearance a very official look. His charcoal black hair was slicked back revealing a thin widow's peak. "Closed on government business."

"Closed on Rocket business you mean," Leaf retorted, locking her gaze on the man's dark eyes which could easily have been made of stone.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he growled. "One last chance to leave or I'll make you leave."

"Defeat me in battle," Leaf responded, hoisting Jab's Pokeball from her belt before summoning him from within. "Then I'll leave. But If i win, you let me in."

"You don't know what or who you're dealing with here," he replied, launching a Pokeball into the air with a flick of his wrist. A Pidgey emerged with a ear-piercing squawk.

"Yes I do. Team Rocket," Leaf thought to say, but left the words unspoken.

The Pidgey squawked again as it hovered above the scene before arching its body and swooping towards the surface, its beady eyes focused on the Weedle below. Jab braced himself for impact but to his surprise his foe took an expected direction, grazing the ground and gripping handfuls of sand within its talons. The Pidgey rocketed towards Jab and hurled the sand towards the Weedle, half-blinding Leaf's Pokemon as sand blanketed his face.

"He's a strong trainer," thought Leaf. "But if that's so then why would he have such weak Pokemon, especially if he's a government official." She considered the possibilities, deciding that the most likely of which would be that a trap awaited her inside Mt. Moon.

Pidgey descended once more, sunlight glinting off the Pokemon's razor sharp talons as they neared their prey. Jab nervously creeped forward to meet the attack whilst violently shaking his head in a failed effort to remove the sand from his eyes. Leaf's Weedle lowered its head, showing his poisonous point but the Pidgey had already planned for that action. The official's Pokemon darted to the side and scythed Jab with its honed claws resulting in the Weedle sprawling back towards his trainer in seething agony.

"It's okay Jab," Leaf whispered to her Pokemon, recalling him to his Pokeball and giving Fang the order to battle. Her Rattata screeched furiously as he emerged onto the battlefield, barring his fangs and kicking up sand in a struggle to contain his previously pent-up rage.

The Pidgey plummeted towards her foe then checked her fall, stopping halfway through the motion and once more rising upwards. The flying Pokemon had performed a fake dive and in his fury, Fang had fallen for the ploy. He leapt upwards in an attempt to grapple onto his foe but with the Pidgey retreating back to the sky, he had missed. Fang tumbled back to the ground, losing his footing as he landed.

"Finish him," the official ordered tonelessly. His Pidgey complied, launching itself as the vulnerable Rattata and attacking its foe with a barrage of pecks. Fang howled in pain with each hit as Leaf turned her gaze from the scene, unable to watch her friend be put under the torture. The Pidgey squawked and Leaf turned back to the melee. Feathers trickled to the ground as the official's Pokemon took to the skies once more, Leaf's Rattata in tow. Her Pokemon had plunged its fangs into his opponent's wing and had bought a momentary stop to the onslaught.

"Come on Fang!" Leaf cried, watching her Rattata cling on tightly as his opponent soared perilously high, ever rising. "Oh no," she gasped. She had remarked during the battle just how wise this Pidgey was, it had both an ability to plan ahead and rapidly adapt its strategy to changing circumstances and now it proved both those traits again. The flying type ignored the agony, instead aiming for Fang's face with a further ferocious storm of pecks. Leaf's Rattata held for as long as it could before the pain became too much. Fang released his grip then plummeted towards the treacherous stone ground, landing with a thump beside Leaf.

"Leave," the official ordered once more.

"Fang…" Leaf whispered, her voice no more than a pained croak.

"Don't make me have to defeat more of your Pokemon."

Leaf's sorrow switched to anger. Team Rocket had claimed yet another life and this time it was one of her closest friends. She clasped Fury's Pokeball and sent him into battle, knowing he would be just as eager to avenge Fang as she was.

"At least you're with Rex now," Leaf whispered solemnly. "You can both look down on us together."

A primal roar filled the skies, echoing around the thick rock walls that surrounded them as Fury beckoned the Pidgey to meet him.

"Use your type advantage," the official barked, knowing flying types were strong against fighting Pokemon like Fury. But the Pidgey was slowed by its damaged wing, and this made it easy for the Mankey.

Leaf's Pokemon summoned all its rage and leapt at the Pidgey as it swooped downwards, grappling it out the air and hurling it towards a wall. Fury then followed with a furious swing of his fist which landed on the Pokemon's cheek with a horrifying crack.

"You leave," Leaf growled, as the Pidgey slumped to the ground defeated. She nearly imitiated the flying type's movements as she struggled in her efforts to comprehend the losses of both Rex and Fang. Two of her closest friends had now fallen to Rocket in quick succession and the painful memories of the past now overshadowed the events of the present, causing the rest of the battle to appear as barely more than a blur to Leaf. She snapped in and out of thought as her friends did both the thinking and fighting for her. She recalled using Fin against the official's Ekans before quickly realising how useless the water-type was. The Magikarp flopped about aimlessly as the Ekans snapped at it with poisonous jaws until Leaf recalled her. Fury narrowly avoided the poisonous strikes with both teeth and tail before pounding the snake-like creature into submission with a flurry of punches. Dino then fought a Nidoran, the horned pink beast attacking with its spike against the Bulbasaur's vines. Her Pokemon cleverly navigated potentially painful assaults, whipping rocks and hurling smaller stones at the creature in retaliation. Dino forced a tiring victory to leave the guard down to his final Pokemon. Dino and Fury were exhausted now after drawn out battles which forced Leaf's hand to send Jab into the fray.

The Official's last Pokemon was a Jigglypuff. The creature was shaped like a large pink balloon with bulging blue eyes. Jab appeared nervous, shaking slightly almost as if he feared battle. Leaf attempted to comfort him but it was to no avail, the Weedle was even more frightened to fight than ever after the losses of both Rex and Fang on top of his own failings against the Pidgey, almost as if he blamed himself.

"Be strong Jab," Leaf called to her Pokemon and clenched her fists. "I know you don't believe in yourself, but I know you're more than capable."

She winced as the Jigglypuff knocked her Pokemon back by slamming into him, then followed with a half-dozen wild slaps which ricocheted off the Weedle's face with a smacking sound which echoed around her. "You've been in many fights but not fallen yet, because you're strong. You don't have to believe it, but at least know that I will always support you and be there for you." Jab was forced to the ground by another slap which caused Leaf to grimace. The Jigglypuff clambered on top of him and began suffocating the Weedle.

"If you give up now I'll lose you Jab, like I did with Rex and Fang and I can't go through that again. So please, try your best, for me." A bright white light engulfed Jab, swallowing the Weedle within its blinding embrace.

"No," the official gasped, realising what was happening. Jab had begun the process of evolution.

The bright light morphed from the long, stringy shape of a Weedle into a more condensed rectangular silhouette before slowly fading to reveal Jab's new form. Emerging from the blinding light came a creature of gold with black eyes. A Kakuna.  
"Jab!" Leaf exclaimed joyously. The Jigglypuff took no heed of the evolution and attempted to continue its assault. The pink creature leapt towards the Kakuna but this time was met by the poisonous point which served as Jab's new tail. Venom seeped through the creature's skin, pouring into its system and rendering the Jigglypuff immobile as death swarmed within its veins.

"Leave," Leaf said once more as the official's final Pokemon collapsed.

"You don't know what you're doing," he replied, looking almost frightened now. "You'll doom us."

"What do you mean?" Leaf said quizzically, not fully understanding the man.

"Just go, please. But if you insist on coming through then a deal is a deal."

She smiled, then trotted past the stricken-looking gentleman and entered .

* * *

The Clefairy moved its chubby frame with grace, dancing around spits of acid as her pink body lit up the dimly illuminated cave. She came to a stop instantly, standing up straight when the Zubat approached and awaited the bloodsucking bat's arrival. She burst into life, batting her opponent away with her thick, curled tail then turned to stare at her trainer with black beady eyes.

"You don't need my approval, Moon," Leaf said, smiling to her newly captured Pokemon. "Keep fighting." Moon jumped for joy at the words, then span on her heel to fight a fellow Clefairy. When she had entered there were no Rocket operatives waiting to stop her, instead she had encountered a dancing Clefairy who had impressed Leaf with her boldness and elegance. So much so that she had decided to capture the pink Pokemon.

Leaf directed her gaze now towards Beak, her other new capture. The Spearow soared whilst slashing at Pokemon in aerial assaults which terrorised the opposing force. First a Caterpie fell to her sweeping strikes, then another in quick succession before a Weedle joined her casualty list.

She glanced across the grey stone floor to where her opponents stood dressed in dusty, old garments. There were five of them, three men and two women and all grimaced in glum union as their warriors were decimated one at a time by Leaf's Pokemon.

"Who are you?" one of the women bellowed across the cave, her voice bouncing off the gloomy dark walls. "Why are you trying to stop us?"

"You don't need to know why, just know that you'll be stopped.," Leaf snapped back, she wasn't about to tell a Rocket operative her motives.

Dino lashed out a vine towards a Sandshrew but the small rodent-like creature stopped the attack mid-air by grappling onto the whip. His battle partner, a Geodude, took the cue and performed the same feat with the Bulbasaur's other vine. The duo combined to use the vines as leverage to begin hoisting Dino towards them, where an Onix eagerly awaited.

"We need these megastones," one of the men shouted. "We can't let you stop us."

"To wreak havoc?" Leaf growled as Dino was drawn in closer to the Onix.

"To save our region!" he replied, a fiery passion in his voice. That last comment made no sense to Leaf, how were Rocket saving the region by using megastones? And although these were Rocket operatives, they must be low level grunts to have such weak Pokemon. But why send such members on such a crucial mission? She decided that she would make sure to ask these questions once they had been stopped.

Fury raised a Rattata into the air and screeched with rage, he was in a full battle frenzy. Leaf's Mankey launched his foe towards a rock then grabbed a Zubat which had attempted to sneak up behind him then pummelled the creature into the ground. He turned to face his next opponent, a Grimer, which was a Pokemon that consisted entirely of an oozing purple sludge.

Leaf looked to Jab next, who fought off a Magnemite, Metapod and Rattata from both himself and Fin. The Magikarp remained useless once more, flopping around aimlessly as enemies flocked around her hoping to land a finishing blow. Jab used his stinger to prick the Rattata, leaving him slouching on the ground as the poison took hold. The Magnemite's steel shell had so far proved impenetrable causing Leaf's Kakuna to slowly crawl backwards in order to guard Fin.

A screech filled the cave, echoing off the walls and causing rocks to tumble as the ground shook violently. It was the Onix. Leaf had missed what happened, but Dino had managed to elude his aggressors and climb up the stone snake's back and had begun assaulting him with vines.

Leaf scanned the room. Beak had taken down an Oddish, the leafs that stemmed from the blue bulb-like Pokemon resting atop a Kakuna, which Leaf guessed her Spearow had also slain. She spotted Moon trip a Clefairy then slam down an elbow on it before swinging an Ekans by its tail and hurling the snake towards the wall.

A flash of light caught her eye. Jab squealed as electricity jolted through his body, rendering him immobile as both the Metapod and Magnemite closed in on Fin with both looking to confirm two victims. Dino channelled Leaf's apprehension and paused his own assault, to his peril. Onix shook violently and flicked the Bulbasaur off his frame before slamming into Leaf's Pokemon with his tail, leaving the Sandshrew and Geodude to close in to finish their weakened foe.

Magnemite charged another electrical attack aimed at both Jab and Fin, then unleashed the waves of energy. Leaf closed her eyes and felt the pain that came with a bond between one of her Pokemon being severed forever, a heart wrenching, soul tearing pain. The bonds between her and her friends were still relatively new and therefore weak, but the pain that resonated within her still seethed. She dared open her eyes as she heard another electrical attack charging to claim a second life, then gasped at the scene. Beak lay electrocuted on the floor as smoke poured from her body, she had dived in front of Jab and Fin to save their lives. Magnemite unleashed another attack but this time it was swallowed whole by a blinding bright light. Beak's sacrifice had caused Jab to evolve again.

Light morphed to a long, thin silhouette that featured wings and two sharp arms like poisonous lances. A Beedrill emerged from the brightness buzzing furiously. Another light bloomed from the far corner of the cave and confused Leaf, causing her to look across the room to Dino, who also had become engulfed by bright light. Leaf's pain was making her Pokemon stronger, so much so that they were evolving. An Ivysaur emerged from Dino's light, the new Pokemon larger than his predecessor with the bulb on his back beginning to sprout into a red flower.

Moon and Fury took heart from seeing their friends mature and began fighting ever harder. Fury pounded the Grimer into submission as Moon defeated a Sandshrew with graceful elegance. Jab smashed into the Magnemite with his dual lances and defeated the Metapod using his larger poison point. Dino shot leaves as sharp as razors out of his blossoming flower which carved into his opponents.

"Let's go guys," one of the men spoke.

"Back to Miguel!" a woman followed.

"She defeated our best trainer Jovan at the entrance, why did we think we could take her!" the final man cried as all of them fled deeper into the cave. Leaf and her Pokemon followed cautiously.

* * *

Blue's Pidgey skimmed the water's surface causing it to ripple outwards towards the edges of the enlarged swimming pool. He impatiently tapped the tiled floors of the old Gym with his shoe, anxiously awaiting Misty's Goldeen to spring up from the depths.

"Getting impatient?" Misty teased, her long auburn hair flowing down to the shoulders of her white swimsuit.

"Just waiting for your Pokemon to stop hiding underwater like a coward," Blue replied. "But it's fine we can wait all day. I know that if your Goldeen was strong enough it would come out and fight."

"Not falling for that one," Misty said with a wink. Calls of battle began chiming outside the building, the shouts gradually growing louder until they morphed into a chaotic symphony of panic and confusion.

"What's going on?" Blue spoke, noticing his opponent glancing uneasily from side to side.

Misty opened her mouth to speak but a shrill squeal from outside answered for them, the screams of two ominous words, "Team Rocket".

"I have to do something!" Misty announced.

"You can't!" Blue quickly replied. "If you leave the Gym you forfeit our battle."

"I'm mayor of this city!" she squeaked, noticeably on edge. "Cerulean is under attack and-" her words were cut short by a powerful, loud noise.

Blue was thrown off his feet as the building began to shake violently which he assumed was because of an explosion of some sort.

"They're targeting the Gym?!" Misty exclaimed. "But why?"

Blue climbed back to his feet and glanced back at the swimming pool. It was draining as water rapidly flowed out of the newly created hole in the wall. He closed his eyes and waited, almost expecting another explosion, one that may even take his life, but nothing happened. The ruckus outside resumed unhindered.

"I surrender," Misty declared, realising her efforts were futile as a water type trainer without the aid of water itself. She summoned her Goldeen back into its Pokeball and sprinted from the Gym, forfeiting the tournament to save her city. Blue blinked, struggling to come to terms with current events. After a few moments, he recalled his Pidgey and galloped after Misty, prepared to do what was necessary to save innocent lives against Team Rocket's assault.

* * *

"Her!" one of the men announced as Leaf walked through a narrow pathway which carved itself deep into the cave. She entered an open room and immediately spotted a giant boulder in the centre flecked with bright stones. A great hole lay directly above the giant alien rock which Leaf assumed must've been where it fell many years ago. She walked forward slowly, noting that the walls of the room were encrusted with parts of fossil and other remnants of ancient Pokemon.

"Stop," a man asked calmly. "Please." She assumed this to be Miguel. He bore a lab coat laden with dirt and grime which reached up and smothered his face, narrowly avoiding his thick rimmed glasses. His shoulder length dark hair was beset by grease as he continually flicked it out of his young face. "I'm just a scientist," he said, his tone sounding as if he was almost begging.

"A Rocket scientist," Leaf corrected him sharply.

"Rocket?" Miguel spoke with a slight stammer, as if he was constantly struggling to pick which words to use next. "No, that's not us. We're not Rocket." Leaf stopped in her tracks at the words, stunned.

"Then…" she paused. "I was told you were government? Scrounging Mt. Moon for megastones?" Miguel laughed nervously at this accusation.

"Yes, government, but not that government," he said cryptically. "Wait, allow me to explain, please."

"I'm waiting," Leaf snapped impatiently. She was fearful to what she had just done.

"Me and Jovan are government. The rest are just volunteers for an expedition into Kanto."

"Into Kanto? Where from?" Leaf asked as she felt her irritation rise at the man for not giving a straight answer.

"Johto. We work for Lord Raven and his Johto government."

"What," Leaf managed to squeak.

"Yes, we were Johto's last hope you see." He nodded, seemingly happy Leaf finally understood what he was trying to say. "To search for megastones in order to halt Rocket's advances. But now you've stopped us, or more specifically, we can't really find megastones without the help of the specialist Pokemon you defeated."

"What do you mean, specialist Pokemon?"

"Well Team Rocket are stopping all Pokemon being smuggled over the border, so we had to capture ones in Kanto ourselves when we got here. We got an Onix to tunnel deeper, Geodudes to help with heavy lifting, Magnemite to electrically charge some rocks to make them easier to take apart. A Grimer too, his ooze is acidic and helps us melt down rocks. The rest of the Pokemon were for our own defence however, although they didn't really work."

"So what are you saying? That I've doomed Johto?"

"No not you," Miguel thought for a second. "Actually, maybe a little. But it's okay. Well it's not."

"I'm...Sorry," Leaf whispered. Cursing herself for her own foolishness.  
"Don't be," Miguel said and smiled. "Oh I'm too polite. Oh nevermind. We did recover some useless fossils though. I'll take them to the museum they'll appreciate that. Oh did you want them?"

Leaf stared blankly as he walked over to her holding fossils in his outstretched hands. One fossil was shaped like a dome, the other a helix and the third was just a round ball of amber, with what appeared to be bone fragments nestled inside.

"Oh you don't want them." Miguel said with a sigh. "Ah. At least have this pretty yellow amber? A present from me?"

"Why are you giving her a present?" Jovan spoke as he entered the room. Leaf noticed for the first time that the five volunteers hadn't spoken. They shuffled around the rock despondently realising their venture had been a failure.

"Then at least something came out of our trip," Miguel replied. "I made someone smile!"

"She's not smiling, and nor should she be," Jovan barked. "You've doomed Johto."

"I'm sorry," Leaf replied, wanting nothing more than to bolt from the cave and not look back.

"Oh don't be so upset," Miguel stammered. "Here, please take this old amber, and smile."

Leaf reluctantly took the gift and offered the scientist a half smile.

"Let's go," Jovan ordered the group. "There's nothing left for us."

"Sorry," Leaf croaked once more, as the expedition force walked out the entry she'd come from.

* * *

Leaf breathed in the fresh air whilst shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight. It had felt like an eternity down in Mt. Moon's depths and she was hugely relieved to exit the cave after her failure within. Her PokeNav buzzed into life informing her she'd received three missed calls since being inside, all from an unknown number.

"Silver," she instantly thought but still decided to ring him back. The phone dialed for what seemed a lifetime, before a familiar metallic voice answered.

"Hello," spoke a robotic sound.

"Silver," Leaf answered.

"No," the voice responded. "Just using a similar voice modifier to help conceal my identity."

"Who is this?"

"Don't be alarmed, Leaf. But I'm trying to help both you and the resistance."

"So you're Rocket?"

"Yes, and I know where Erik is."

"I don't believe you."

"I thought you might say that. So instead I'll give you another tip on Rocket's plans. If what I say proves true then you may ring me again and I shall tell you where to find Erik."

"And if your tip is false and it's a trap?"

"You don't have to follow it, just know that I'm trying to help."

"Why? Who are you anyway, I want a name?"

"That is something I cannot say for my own safety. But when the time is right you shall know my identity. To answer your first question, I wish to help because I have seen the tyranny of Team Rocket first hand and it must be stopped."

"Assuming I decide to believe you, what's your tip?"

"A Pokemon trainer may only carry six Pokemon on their person at one time, correct? Well what happens if a seventh is captured. That Pokemon is then sent to 'Storage', yes?"

"I'm following," Leaf replied, wondering where he was going with this.

"To the north of Cerulean City lies Route 25. And on Route 25 lies Storage and its creator, Bill. Team Rocket's next move is to assault storage and take control of the facility for themselves, gaining mastery of all Pokemon within. In one sweep they will weaken all opposition to themselves whilst enhancing their own firepower tenfold."

"You refer to Rocket as 'they'," Leaf responded. "But you must be in a high position to know all this."

"That I am. As I say, it's entirely down to you whether you accept my tip or not. The attack is happening as we speak, but there is one weakness in their assault. Route 25 and Cerulean are separated by a thick body of water and I have ensured the Rocket inventory consists of not a single water type Pokemon, nor an electric. That is your advantage. If you wish to know where Erik is, I'll be awaiting you call. Goodbye, Leaf."

The PokeNav clicked as he hung up the phone, leaving Leaf with even more questions and still no answers.


	8. Bill's Fortress

**Chapter Seven - Bill's Fortress**

Sparks flickered and faded from the Magnemite's steel shell. A Voltorb lay slumped against his former companion on the tiled floor as the two fallen Pokemon were joined together in their final rest. Each slab of the flooring lit up independently painting the room in a plethora of hues before the tiles either returned to darkness or switched their colour swathing the room in yellow, cream, green and blue. It was almost akin to a disco although the customary thundering energetic music had been replaced by the din of battle.

Surge loomed across the scene, his demeanour and appearance contrasting that of the lively arena. The former Gym Leader revealed bulging biceps with his moss-green coloured tank top matched by the shorts he wore which unveiled legs corded with muscle, a buzzcut completing the military look. This was his old Gym, his battlefield, and on it Wally was annihilating his opponent. His Pikachu had disposed of Surge's first two Pokemon with relative ease and now his Eevee faced down the old Gym leader's final Pokemon, Raichu, the evolved form of a Pikachu.

"You're tough for a kid," Surge spoke with a gruff, steely voice.

"I've had training," Wally replied. He had spent a few days preparing with the Servants, adopting their methods into his battle technique and developing both himself as a trainer and his Pokemons' strength. He had abandoned the group momentarily to compete in the tournament's next round whilst the Servants rallied for war and began the hunt for their 'Lord's Angels'.

"Me too," Surge said. He looked to be in his late forties and his past remained a mystery to Wally. But instead of enquiring to the man's history he considered the other problems which plagued his mind. He had agreed the alliance with the cryptic Servants despite being unaware of their true motives and intentions.

"Can they even be trusted?" Wally thought. They perplexed him, despite constant attempts to figure out the identity of their 'Lord' and who Lyra and Ethan truly were, he remained no closer to discerning their true guises. "I guess I'll just have to wait and find out."

"No," Surge roared as his Raichu was tackled to the floor by its opponent. The Eevee had dodged and evaded every electrical attack, cleverly using the temporary dark spots induced by the flashing tiles to ambush his foe.

"They're certainly well versed in the art of battle," Wally recalled Ethan's words to him. The man who bore the gold robe informed him that Lyra, "Is well versed in the art of battle, in fact she's one of the strongest trainers on the planet. Learn from her, let her teach you her ways and techniques." He had accomplished just that and it granted him an unexpectedly simple victory against a former Gym leader. "Now," Wally thought. "Where did Ethan say to meet after my battle."

* * *

"Get to cover," Misty shrieked to the townspeople as Rocket Pokemon and grunts ran amok upon the streets of Cerulean City. Blue followed close behind amidst the chaos. He sighted a Zubat terrorising a local civilian and a Rattata attacking a ragtag group of Pokemon that had been thrown out in defense of the city.

"Look Misty," Blue shouted above the ruckus as they battled through people in the town square. "They're all heading north."

"You're right," she shouted back, pushing her way through a rabble of townspeople. "They're crossing Nugget Bridge."

Blue looked across the town to the northern boundary and through a cluster of buildings he sighted a large lake separating the city from Route 25. He had crossed the bridge overhanging the water days ago to fight Shane Cale but somehow that seemed almost a lifetime ago now. He recalled one of the locals telling him the story of the bridge, how one day a young boy found fistfuls of gold buried beneath it and suddenly became rich in one scoop. That was how 'Nugget Bridge' got its name. Who the boy was, or if the story was even true remained a mystery to Blue.

"They're heading towards Bill's Cottage!" Misty declared. "What do they want with him?"

Blue almost stopped in his tracks as he sighted Leaf making her way towards the bridge from the west of the city. "Wait at the bridge," he called to Misty.

"Why?!" Misty shouted back. They were making good process through the hordes of citizens now and almost onto the path which carved its way between buildings and shot straight towards the bridge.

"Because we have help," he responded, almost shoving an elderly panicked lady to the floor in his haste. "Whoops, sorry," he half-heartedly said.

Misty almost laughed, then remembered the perilous situation they found themselves within. "Excuse me," she said and impatiently groaned over and over like a record on loop.

"No need to be so polite." Blue smirked as he barged a man out of the way. "They're confused and panicked. Don't think they realise what's going on here."

"I don't realise what's going on here!" Misty retorted. They had finally pushed their way through and had clear running to the bridge.

"I do," Leaf interrupted, having managed to find a shortcut through the gathering crowd to catch Blue and Misty before they crossed Nugget Bridge.

"Care to enlighten us?" Misty said with a furrowed brow, unaware of who this new arrival was.

"Hey Leaf, how's it going?" Blue helpfully added.

"Where's Wally, have you seen him?" Leaf asked whilst glancing around the city for a glimpse of the green haired boy.

"Think I saw him in a book once?" Blue answered with a grin.

"Can you take this a little more seriously please," Leaf responded irritably.

"Again, care to enlighten us as to what's going on?" Misty snapped. "Who even are you? I take it you two know each other?"

"Woah ladies please," Blue said and laughed casually. "No need to fight over me."

"I'm Leaf," she replied whilst mustering all her willpower not to slap Blue. "Team Rocket are on a mission to take control of Storage, which I'm lead to believe is located on Route 25 with a man named Bill."

"It's at Bill's Cottage," Misty replied noticeably calmer. "He created storage himself, he's a genius. It's also his own personal fortress so I think Rocket are in for a nasty surprise when they try taking it."

"They don't appear to be struggling," Blue noted as groups of grunts strolled towards the cottage fearlessly. They were surrounded by an army of their Pokemon who marched together with their trainers along Route 25.

"Then we need to help him," Leaf insisted. "Rocket's army is strong but they have one fundamental weakness. They have no water Pokemon and that lake runs beside them all along Route 25."

"How do you know all this?" Misty enquired. Even Blue took notice at her knowledge.

"I'll tell you later, we have to move now!" Leaf commanded.

"You're the boss," Blue said sarcastically, making no movement.

"Is she? Boss of what?" Misty responded with a confused look.

"Just go!" she howled, releasing her team of Pokemon and leading the charge across the bridge.

"You taking the lake?" Blue asked Misty, still not moving and allowing Leaf to charge by herself for now. She had released her team, which included a recently captured Ekans which she had named Snake.

"Yeah, still have three Pokemon left. If you two attack by land and me by water we can surprise them from behind. Don't worry too much about Bill, that man can handle himself." she responded, then launched three Pokeballs into the water. A Staryu emerged first, a sand-coloured star shaped Pokemon with a red ruby encrusted in its centre. Afterwards a Goldeen and a Seel joined it, Misty mounting the latter and wish Blue good luck as she powered through the water after Leaf.

"Guess it's time to join in the fun," Blue spoke softly to his four Pokeballs, which contained his Charmander, Rattata, Abra and the evolved form of Pidgey, a Pidgeotto.

* * *

A chilled wind bit at Leaf as dull clouds crowded the skies. The calm lake lived peacefully alongside the grasslands of Route 25 which rose and dipped slightly like stationary green waves. She eyed the collection of Team Rocket grunts who gathered before Bill's Cottage which sat atop a large mound in tranquillity. Misty had mentioned that Bill transformed the abode into a 'fortress' but Leaf saw no evidence of such. She saw a two story home constructed of grey bricks and topped by a chimney. At the back of the building lay a large storehouse which Leaf guessed housed all the Pokeballs sent into storage.

Staring down at the swarms of black clad gangsters atop the mound was Bill. Leaf thought he appeared surprisingly young, in his early twenties at most with childlike curly hair. He had a very ordinary face beset with bright brown eyes and wore a sky-blue shirt with cream coloured trousers. He appeared carefree, looking down at his besiegers without worry as he awaited Rocket's next move.

"They look leaderless," Leaf said as Blue caught her. She had stood to judge the scene and plan her best method of attack. Rocket had noticed both the duo as well as the waterborne Misty and had begun preparations for the attempted pincer attack. A group of grunts had volunteered themselves to counter the Resistance whilst the main bulk began their advance up the mound.

"Looks like they thought taking the cottage would be easy," Blue noted. "Didn't need to send their best men, just a bunch a rookies."

"Why waste resources here when they're at war in Johto," Leaf assumed. "Maybe that's why they need Storage. Maybe the war in Johto isn't going as well as they're all saying?" she said hopefully, still hurting from her excursion through Mt. Moon and the mistake made within.

"Nah," Blue crushed the idea with a single half-hearted word.

"Then what?" Leaf said irritably.

"Don't know, don't really care. This should be easier than I thought."

"There's still a lot of them. I count around twenty-five to thirty." Leaf made an effort to try and count the grunts. There were around six coming for her and Blue, three using flying types to counter Misty whilst around fifteen had began their upwards trek towards the cottage.

"Easy," Blue repeated before walking towards the six.

"We need to move quick, Bill won't be able to hold off that many-" Leaf started then stopped as Bill's defences whirled into action. This is why Misty described it as a 'fortress'.

A small white device sprouted from the ground shaped like a gigantic hose which sprouted from the surface at the same time a plinth rose from the ground. The hose launched into the air then rested neatly atop the podium, quickly followed by another.. As Rocket operatives ascended the slope miniature obstacles sprang out of the ground directly in front of them which tripped a handful of the grunts, causing them to fall flat on their faces. The hose-like devices roared into action, turning into powerful mechanised water cannons that launched vigorous streams of liquid at the advancing assault force and either pushed them back down the hill or caused more of the grunts to tumble alongside their Pokemon.

"Brilliant!" Blue laughed at the scene. Even Leaf afforded herself a smile before her and Blue's Pokemon were beset by enemies. Scores of Rattata, Grimer, Koffing, Sandshrew, Zubat and Ekans lined up as a deadly barrier to their rescue efforts. A squeal shrieked across the water from where Misty faced off against a group of Zubat, Pidgey and Koffing who flew across the river's surface and attacked not only her Pokemon but Misty herself.

Rocket forces continued their advancements despite water cannons blasting their Pokemon back down the hill. Bill seemed only happy to allow them to continue their march and caught them out with his next design. Walls composed of a smooth white metal burst from the ground and flanked the water cannons to create a barrier. A gap between the barricades formed a gate in which Rocket grunts could enter and that caused the operatives to funnel into a narrow line, their strongest Pokemon shielding them from the spraying water.

Blue's Charmander set a line of grass ablaze to form his own barrier to Rocket's Pokemon, forcing them to step around the roaring flames and into the waiting fangs of his Rattata and psychic attacks by Abra. His Pidgeotto soared above the flame barrier and landed at the rear of the grunts' fighters to trap them.

Leaf now turned her attention back towards her own Pokemon. Rocket creatures poured from a rise towards her team, hungrily snapping their jaws and claws to send waves of fear through their opponents. Jab led the charge invigorated with belief and spirit after his double evolution. The Beedrill clashed with a small herd of Zubat, swiping foes from the skies using with needle-like arms. The limp lifeless bodies of the horrific bat-like creatures tumbled to land beside Fury and Moon who followed close by and joined in the conflict. Dino waited behind his friends to react to the flow of battle by issuing orders to his teammates whilst lashing out vines out any opposing Pokemon that seemed threatening and shoot razor sharp leaves to hinder their foes. Slowly joining the fray was Snake, the newest member of the team. She attacked with both teeth and tail, a deadly venom affixed to both.

"Fin," Leaf barked to her Magikarp who seemingly fled the battle. She had asked Fin to assist Misty in the hope that the water type would fare better within her own element, but even the river failed to aid her Pokemon. Instead of helping Misty, the Magikarp switched between ducking and hiding underwater and fleeing when she thought Leaf's attention lay elsewhere.

Shouts from the mound distracted Leaf as she turned to watch Rocket grunts slip and fall down the slope. A giant cylindrical object had risen from the 'gateway' and rotated to release thousands of small metallic pellets which flooded the hillside like a waterfall, ushering the operatives back to where they had begun the climb. "Bill's fortress indeed", she muttered.

Jab fought as if he had been possessed, swiping his lances at swarms of opponents as Fury and Moon followed through the mop up. Snake fared less capably as she struggled to fend of the furious advances from an enraged Rattata leaving Dino to be forced to intervene. The Ivysaur lashed out at the Rattata with a vine then shot a dozen sharp leaves at the creature when it recoiled to thrust the Rocket Pokemon backwards. Misty had also began to make more significant progress as her Pokemon's water based attacks sent their opponents plunging into the river.

Hesitation and dismay swept through the Rocket ranks as their seemingly simple operation rapidly unravelled without a strong commander to lead them. Blue and Leaf closed in on the remaining grunts as Misty flanked them on the river. They now had them trapped and many began to flee the scene, sprinting passed the Resistance members.

"Not many left," Blue said then smirked. "Told you it'd be easy."

"It's not over yet," Leaf snapped. "There's still nine of them remaining and all of them are focused on us now."

"And Misty," Blue replied sighting two of the grunts nervously heading towards Cerulean's mayor.

Scores of Koffing, Rattata, Grimer, Zubat, Pidgey and Ekans formed the Rocket army and once again Jab headed the Resistance's assault. The Beedrill swooped in with arms dripping with venom, eager to land the first strike on the trio of Pidgey who moved to counter him. He landed a hit, piercing into the first and landing the poisonous point attached to his abdomen into the second. Jab never saw the third until it was too late. The flying Rocket Pokemon rammed into the Beedrill with his beak and sent Leaf's bug type sprawling towards the surface to land directly in the centre of Rocket's Pokemon army where a herd of furious Rattata and Ekans crawled on top of Jab before mauling him.

A soul searing pain tore through Leaf as she felt the bond between herself and Jab sever, the Beedrill lost within the Rocket horde. She had watched him grow from a shy, anxious and feeble Weedle to a confident and brash Beedrill. Now she saw yet another of her friends fall in battle and the agony seethed through her more than ever.

The loss only seemed to inspire Leaf's Pokemon to fight ever harder as if it put fire within their bellies. Dino whipped a Rattata then launched leaves at a Koffing before grappling onto the poison Pokemon and hoisting it out of the sky. Moon danced around an Ekans' tail swipe and pounded the creature whilst Fury took down two Grimers with the same move, grabbing one and hurling it at the other. Snake had less success as the remaining Pidgey bullied him from the skies, but he was saved by Blue's Pidgeotto. Even Fin returned to the action albeit just to be recalled into his Pokeball.

Misty had defeated the two grunts which had challenged her and provided support from the river, her Pokemon launching water like Bill's cannons at Rocket creatures. Blue's Charmander lead his Rattata and Abra around to the rear of the action to surround Rocket's Pokemon. Operatives squealed in terror as their warriors were caught in a web of death, encircled by vengeful beasts.

"We're too weak from the cottage defences!" a grunt howled.

"We need to pull back," another followed.

"Full retreat," a third added as the operatives began recalling their fighters one by one, then fled the battle.

"Told you it'd be easy," Blue said again.

Leaf remained silent, still stunned by the loss of Jab.

* * *

Wally sucked in the clean air as a cooling breeze rolled off the ocean whilst Pidgey and Spearow squawked overhead, circling spots of the sea where Magikarp gathered hoping to catch their final meal of the day. The trainer from Hoenn watched the setting sun paint the horizon in reddish pink hues as it prepared to pass over majesty over the skies to the moon.

"You won, I take it?" Ethan spoke softly, his tone exuding calmness. He bore his familiar gold robe and stood beside Wally watching the horizon.

"Yep," Wally said, smiling. "Thanks to your training."

"Lyra's training," Ethan corrected him. "She's quite the tutor."

"Where is she now?" Wally asked, realising there remained no sign of any other Servants.

"She is with the rest of our flock, hunting down our Lord's Angels."

"They left you behind?"

"No no, of course not," Ethan said and grinned. "I'm to catch them up after I deliver you a message. Well, two messages."

"Bad messages?" Wally sighed.

"Always so negative," Ethan said lightly. "Both regard our alliance, between the Servants and the Resistance. Firstly, although it may appear to you that the Servants are abandoning you all, I can assure you we are not. When the time is right, we promise we shall be there."

"I believe you," Wally answered patiently, before realising if he asked what 'the time is right' meant he would met a wall of cryptic responses. "And the second message?"

"A token of our faith and goodwill. To show generosity and to help cement our side of the alliance. Our seekers, the men and women we send out to gather information for us, have picked up on increasing levels of Rocket activity around one of the ships docked in the harbour."

"It could just be one of their ships? They own the region and the army, why not a few ships?"

"Perhaps," Ethan replied. "Although I question the sheer volume of grunts and cargo being loaded. For a apparent standard ship there seems far too much hustle and bustle."

"I'll give Leaf and Blue a call and see what we can find," Wally smiled, grateful for the tip. "Thank you for the help. What's the name of the ship?"

"You're welcome for the assistance," Ethan smiled. "It's named the 'SS. Anne."

* * *

"I don't have to use these water cannons on you lot too do I?" Bill called from atop the mound with a laugh.

"It's me, Misty!" the mayor of Cerulean shouted from the hill's base.

"I can see that." Bill rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Who are your friends?"

"I'm Leaf and this is Blue." She recalled her Pokemon to their Pokeballs as she spoke. Blue and Misty followed suit. "We're Rocket Resistance."

"I see," Bill replied. "Well thanks for the help." He smiled then turned to leave.

"That's all we get?" Leaf bellowed. "I lost a Pokemon in the fighting, I noticed how you didn't use any of those hundreds you have in storage."

"They're not mine to use," Bill said shrugged. "Anyway be seeing you."

"Bill don't be so rude," Misty echoed Leaf's cries.

"If the man wants to go, let him go," Blue spoke with his arms folded. "What you guys wanting to do up there anyway? See the sights?"

"Anyway I'm not finished with you," Misty turned to Leaf as Bill walked away. "How'd you know Rocket's weakness."

Leaf was about to reply when Blue's PokeNav buzzed violently. "It's Wally," he announced before pulling away from the bickering women to engage in conversation with their absent friend.

"Well?" Misty demanded.

"Why does it matter?" Leaf snapped. "We're Resistance, we have intel that you don't."

"This is my city. If I'm to protect it I need to know what's going on."

"All I know is Rocket wanted Storage, they failed. If they want to try again I'll let you know."

"That's not good enough," Misty screeched whilst stamping a foot.

"Can't leave you too alone can I?" Blue called as he strolled back towards the arguing duo. "Wally says he's in Vermillion City and has just progressed through the tournament to join us in the next round. Also said something about a Rocket owned ship but told him not to worry about it, they use loads of them for trade."

"Maybe there's something valuable on it?" Leaf questioned, refusing to dismiss the lead so hurriedly.

Blue sighed making an unintelligible sound in the process. "And if there's nothing? Not worth the risk."

Leaf thought to agree with him then remembered the member of Team Rocket who'd phoned her previously. His information had proved solid, so maybe he could be trusted. He did mention he knew of Erik's location.

"I'm going to make a phone call," Leaf announced.

"Who to? You don't have friends," Blue jibed to Misty's amusement.

Leaf grunted at him then strolled to the river's edge to make the call whilst hearing Misty say "I don't trust her" a little too loudly to Blue in the process. She sat by the lake and took her shoes off to dip her aching feet within the rushing river. Goldeen swam up to her and tickled her toes by softly nibbling on them in their curiousity. Leaf rang the last number on her call log.

"Hello," the metallic voice filter sounded.

"It's Leaf," she said nervously, feeling adrenaline pump through her system as her heart threatened to burst out of her stomach.

"I'm almost surprised you called me," he answered. "I take it my information proved true?"

"To the word."

"Although I failed to mention I removed a few Magnemite from the assault squad's inventory. That could've proved costly had I forgotten to do so."

"I'm glad you did," Leaf smiled, almost enjoying the man's mystery. "My friend tells me there's a ship docked in Vermillion. What's on it?"

"Very good," the man said strangely. "I'm mystified how you found that already. But pleased."

"Pleased?" Leaf enquired. She felt dizzy from the rush of emotion and forcibly convinced herself to still not fully trust this man.

"Because that's where Rocket are holding Erik. Preparing him for transportation." Leaf paused at the revelation, speechless. "Still there?" he spoke again after a few seconds of silence.

"Ye-yes," she stammered. "Are you sure?"

"I know because I arranged for him to be moved there. Now Johto has nearly been captured I pleaded with Giovanni to move Erik there. I lied to him that he would be safer, the Resistance would never think to look for him there."

"So he's on a ship leaving for Johto?"

"Yes, they're loading up now. They'll stay the night then leave tomorrow at midday."

"Thank you," Leaf burst, almost unable to contain her glee. "What's the name of the ship?" she finished. He informed her of the ship's name then wished her good luck before hanging up the phone.

"So?" Blue said impatiently as she approached smiling.

"It's Erik!" she blurted. "Erik. He's aboard the SS. Anne."


	9. Rescue

**Chapter Eight - Rescue**

Wally watched the Pidgey squawk above a sedated sea where foamy waves crashed against the pier then licked up in an attempt to climb onto land. He dangled his legs over the edge of an unused dock peering across a bustling harbour full of yachts, fishing boats, cruise ships and a variety of other vessels all bathing in the gleaming sun. The young man from Hoenn returned his gaze to his PokeNav where Gabby was in the midst of broadcasting the startling news of Johto's defeat in their war against Kanto.

"A great victory in the war for Johto," Gabby announced whilst Ty's camera scanned the scene. The lense trailed from the newsreader with her short brunette hair and mud-brown eyes to Courtney commanding Kanto her troops to guide their hostage to a specified location. Two Rocket operatives held a man clamped in their arms. He featured charcoal coloured hair that was slicked back which was a contrast to his piercing, authoritative eyes swathed in a silver hue. Dirt and grime covered his grey suit showing Wally that he had defiantly fought back against the Kanto army before Courtney managed to obliterate his insubstantial defenses and thereafter taken the man captive.

"This won't be the end," the man promised, his deep voice sending shivers racing down Wally's spine.

"Oh it is for you," Courtney chirped, almost skipping towards a van which awaited the prisoner. "Raven has fallen," she declared. "Raven has fallen!" she repeated with a squeal.

"As you can both hear and see," Gabby spoke flatly. "Lord Raven has been captured by our glorious army to signal the end for Johto. Kanto has won the war."

"Poor little Raven," Courtney chimed. "'Vanni pushed you out of Kanto," she sang to a tune she had clearly just invented. "And now you're out of Johto. Where will you go...to?" She finished, confusing her words and clearly giving up on the song with a shrug.

"Rumours of Johto's last-minute hunt for Megastones in an effort to save themselves have been strongly denied," Gabby continued. "But evidence to the contrary has surfaced and we can exclusively revealed information garnered from an unnamed source within the Johto constituency that a team of volunteers were sent to Mt. Moon in Kanto but their plans were foiled within."

"Bye bye Raven." Courtney waved to Lord Raven as he was shoved forcibly into the back of the black van. "Bye bye Johto!" she screamed whilst cupping her hands to her mouth and shouting into the region's rich blue sky - "You're ours now."

"We all know our government collected all the Megastones from years ago anyway, but we thank the people who put a stop to Raven's plans within the tunnels," Gabby finished.

"Wally!" a voice screamed from across the dock. He flicked the off switch on his PokeNav and turned to see Leaf and Blue, the former racing towards him with outstretched arms. Leaf embraced him, wrapping her arms around Wally and causing him to both blush and feel nervous.

"Hey Leaf," he squeaked.

"Where have you been?" she demanded to know.

"I've made us some new friends," he said with a grin. He was proud to announce the alliance, happy with being able to help.

"Who?"

"They call themselves 'The Servants'. They're a strange lot, wearing robes and preaching to some unknown god, but they've been nice to me. They said they'd help us defeat Rocket when the time is right."

"What does that mean, when they time is right?" Leaf asked as a confused expression painted her face.

"I don't know to be honest. Hi Blue," he added as the third Resistance member approached them. He received a smile and nod in response.

"Can you trust them though?" Leaf asked.

"I think so," Wally said, suddenly feeling embarrassed he couldn't tell them much more.

"Sounds promising," Blue said sarcastically.

"Don't be mean," Leaf snapped. "At least Wally has done something for the Resistance." Blue just shrugged at the jibe.

"Look, I know how it sounds," Wally spoke so quietly he realised Leaf had to lean slightly closer to hear him. "But all my life I've been on my own. I tell people I used to live with my uncle because I was ill, that's not true. It's because my parents didn't want me, they never said those words but I always felt that way. I always felt that they saw me as useless and a hindrance to them. I tried becoming a trainer in Hoenn but wasn't good enough."

"Wally stop it's okay," Leaf smiled at him.

"No I want you both to understand," he continued although he intended the message to be more towards Blue than Leaf. "Then Erik offered me a chance with you guys in the Resistance, to go to Kanto and help liberate the region from Team Rocket. For the first time in my life I've felt wanted, felt that I could be of use to someone and not only that, but I'm making a difference now."

"We know Wally, we do value you," Leaf said softly.

"Then in my first battle I nearly let everyone down straight away, until the Servants saved me. They took me in and were kind to me and again I felt part of something, I felt useful. I just have this good feeling about them. They're my friends like you guys are."

"Wow," Blue said. "All I said was 'hello' and you give me your life story." He winked at Wally to show he was joking. Leaf punched him on the arm.

"It's okay Leaf," Wally said then laughed.

"So is it your turn then Leaf?" Blue asked. "Are we going to hear about how the mighty Leaf was loved so much by mummy and daddy and is now the greatest trainer the world has ever seen, or are we going to go save Erik?"

"Come on you two," Wally interrupted as Leaf growled at Blue, unsure why Erik was mentioned. "Rocket has just conquered Johto, they'll be turning their full attention towards us and Hoenn now. What do we plan to do?"

"Have you sighted the SS. Anne?" Leaf asked Wally.

"Yes," he responded and pointed at a pearl white luxury liner in the harbour swarmed by Rocket grunts, like black ants surrounding their nest.

"Eriks on board, imprisoned on the lowest level," Leaf informed him, to his shock. His pulse raced as adrenaline surged through his system.

"Then there's no time to lose!" Wally almost shouted. Erik was his best friend, the person who had picked him up from his lowest point and given him both a chance and genuine friendship. He was also the greatest trainer Wally had ever known and to defeat the full force of Rocket and 'Kanto's Army', they'd need him. As Leaf bolted across the dock, Wally followed in close attendance. Blue simply strolled casually behind them.

* * *

"How much time do we have left?" Wally enquired, peering over a stack of crates.

"The ship is due to leave a midday," Leaf answered whilst also nestled behind the wooden boxes. "Which gives us just over two hours." She looked ahead to the ship in all its glory. It appeared to be a highly expensive cruise liner painted solely in a rich pearl white and topped with two giant funnels. Hordes of Team Rocket grunts swarmed the dock, gangplanks and the SS. Anne's wide deck with legions more spotted through the many windows which ran down the vessel.

"You called Archie didn't you? Are we waiting for him now?" Wally asked. Leaf could sense his apprehension, so much so that it emanated off him like a strong perfume. She also knew that Wally already had the answer to that question but was asking to reassure himself.

"Archie is coming with a strikeforce from Hoenn including his lieutenants Mylos and Grant." Leaf smiled at him to aid the reassurance. "But we can't risk waiting for them the ship may leave earlier than expected or they may not even make it in time."

"With Johto fallen Rocket will go after Hoenn next," Wally spoke to himself for what seemed the one hundredth time. "We need to strike them first and save Erik."

Leaf looked back to see Blue hovering near the edge of the harbour seemingly performing his own reconnaissance. He moved from pier to pier whilst talking to some sailors along the way in an effort to discern any possible weak points they could exploit but from where Leaf stood the ship looked impenetrable.

"What are they loading onto the ships?" Wally thought out loud. Dozens of large steel crates were being hoisted onto the ship by large cranes then lowered deep within through a large opening in the SS. Anne's deck.

"It's not just a cruise liner," Leaf realised. "It's being used as a cargo ship."

"Why use a cruise liner as a cargo ship?" Wally replied.

"To hide what they're carrying?" Leaf guessed. She was tempted to open up one of the wooden crates before her but couldn't be certain that the boxes were intended for the SS. Anne. "We have to move closer to the ship," she said whilst casting her gaze across the cluttered but short pier.

"I have a plan," a voice from behind startled the two. It was Blue. "These steel crates that are being loaded onto the ship, we can get inside one of them and be lifted in."

"You're right," Leaf agreed whilst looking to see where the crates were being loaded from. "There," she gasped, seeing a crate being lifted from the back of one of a group of flatbed trucks.

"The trucks are lightly guarded," Blue informed them as they began their trawl towards the trucks. They would have to go back to the end of the pier and passed the cranes towards a parking lot intended for large vehicles.

"Why would they have the ship so heavily manned but leave the trucks with so few operatives," Wally asked what Leaf thought to be a good question.

"Because those grunts aren't there to stop anyone getting in," Blue said whilst pointing to the ship. "They're to stop anyone getting out."

"Erik," Leaf agreed. "They aren't expecting anyone to try and steal one of their trucks when they own both Kanto and Johto now."

"They may be getting complacent," Blue said cheerfully. "This could be our one chance."

"Don't say that," Wally squeaked.

"Don't worry Wally," Leaf said and smiled at him again.

"This'll be easy," Blue said then laughed. "We'll go for one lorry each. Divide and conquer."

"I don't want to do this my own!" Wally said as fear threatened to overwhelm him.

"I assume all the crates are going to the same place," Leaf attempted to reassure him once more. "It'll only be for a little while. As soon as the ship sets sail we all burst out of the crates and take down any grunts in the cargo hold."

"Agreed," Blue said as they neared the trucks which were indeed very lightly guarded in contrast to the ship which swarmed with figures cloaked in black and purple. Leaf clambered onto the back of one of the trucks and opened a crate, Wally doing the same to the lorry located next to hers.

"What is this?" she blurted as Wally and Blue climbed into their selected containers. "Like dark grey grains of sand."

"This is so uncomfortable," Wally complained. "It's all hard grains of something."

"Mine are soft." Blue chuckled. "Same as you guys though it's all powder or something."

"Mine are hard too!" Leaf groaned as she felt the powder cling to her body. "This is so uncomfortable. What even is it?!"

"Try eating some and find out," Blue called across. "Or dig to the bottom maybe there's treasure inside."

"You were being so pleasant until now," Leaf growled towards him.

"Someone's coming!" Wally announced as all three of them closed the lids to their containers and lay unmoving in the total darkness. A few minutes later Leaf heard a strong metal clamp onto the edges of her crate before feeling her container being hoisted into the air.

* * *

It felt to Leaf as if she had been inside her crate for days when the SS. Anne finally set sail. Her cramped muscles ached and felt stiff to move whilst the dark grey grains of an unknown substance trickled down her skin as she attempted to stand up. She had thought of her Pokemon, the newest of which was a Caterpie she had named Giggles for the fact he seemed to find even the smallest things hilarious. The loss of Jab still haunted her but she knew she needed to keep moving forward and save Erik, that was all that mattered now.

Leaf pushed against the lid of the container with some force, first hearing a creak, then a crack, until the top of the box slid off allowing her clamber to freedom. She almost tumbled to the wood planked floor as her legs gave way from underneath her such was their ache. The room she had emerged into was dank, crowded and only faintly lit from light creeping in from underneath a wooden door.

"Wally!" she whispered so loudly it was more of a hiss. "Blue?"

Leaf waited a moment for a response but her calls were left unanswered. She concluded her friends must have been taken to a different room, so she released her team ready for war and advanced out of the storage room through the doorway and out into a bright, white corridor. Paintings of powerful Pokemon littered a hallway flanked by an abundance of wooden doors and small portholes which stared out into the ocean.

"I'm only halfway down," she said and sighed as she peered out into the sea hoping for any sight of Archie and the Hoenn strikeforce. Seel leapt out of the sea playfully as schools of Goldeen hastily fled from an abnormally large Tentacruel who shot poison through the water that chased down its prey like a deadly purple torpedo.

"Are you one of the serving girls?" a voice called from behind Leaf. She turned to see a tubby man who was clearly a chef by the plain white outfit he wore along with toque atop his head. "What you playing at, we've departed and you're not even in your uniform!" His face flushed a deep red until he noticed the Pokemon at her feet.

"Serving girl?" she replied with hands on her hips.

"The only people allowed Pokemon on this ship are the Rockets..." he started to figure out as Dino directed a small amount of spores emitted from his bulb towards the chef. "But all Rockets would be wearing uniform so that means…" his facial expression morphed from fury to horror as he finally figured out that Leaf wasn't one of his serving girls nor Rocket, but here to raid the ship.

"Sleep tight," Leaf smiled as Dino's sleeping powder swirled around the chef.

"Pirates!" the chef attempted to bellow but the words came out of a tired squeak before he slumped to the floor.

"Right," Leaf turned to her team to convey the plan. "Erik will be on the lowest level. So we must proceed through these corridors and find stairs wherever we can whilst taking out any Rocket grunts that stand in our way. Once we find Erik, Blue and Wally we shall escape with them on Archie's speedboats once he arrives." Dino, Moon, Snake and Fury yelped in approval, desperate to help the cause. Giggles somehow found it humorous and let out a quiet chuckle whilst Fin appeared lost and afraid.

Recently refurbished wooden planks splintered and cracked as the floor beneath Leaf's feet threatened to burst. Snake whipped venom from her tail working in tandem with Giggles who tackled a Rattata through one of the many doors which littered the hallway. Rocket grunts fled in terror as their Pokemon fell to Leaf's inspired battlers.

"We're under attack," more shouts echoed from floors underneath.

"Resistance is everywhere!" a further cry reverberated from even deeper into the bowels of the SS. Anne.

"How many of you are there?!" a grunt growled towards Leaf.

"Dozens," she lied in response. Herself, Blue and Wally attacking from three different angles were making the assault seem somewhat coordinated by a number of aggressors. A half dozen grunts still stood before her defiantly refusing to retreat as a score of their colleagues had.

Leaf and her team had descended their fifth staircase now and had met fierce Rocket resistance at every level. Snake and Giggles had led her vanguard eager to prove themselves, the latter especially impressing her showing that he had steel to match his usual lightheartedness. Leaf felt her Caterpie on the verge of evolution. They had bonded rapidly and all it would take was one final push for Giggles to morph into a Metapod.

Leaf's ears pricked up as a faint hum began buzzing outside the ship. The six Rocket grunts turned to each other as their faces lit up from looks of despair to unsettling grins as the sound grew gradually louder.

"Reinforcements," the grunts said and chortled. "You're done for now". The humming had established itself to emanating from some type of speedboat which the grunts evidently presumed were lined with elite members of Team Rocket. Leaf allowed herself a smile of her own which painted confusion on her opponent's faces because she knew the truth of the sound.

"Look out the window," she said playfully to which all six grunts looked out a single porthole. Leaf glanced out of one closer to her and sighted three dots on the clear blue ocean which remained calm and still as the sun beat down upon it. The momentary distraction granted an opening for the grunts' Pokemon to tilt the scales in their favour. A Zubat latched onto Giggles with its blood sucking fangs and began to leach the life from Leaf's Caterpie, the action akin to a parasite slowly absorbing the bug's soul through horrendous fangs.

"We don't own blue boats do we?" One of the grunts asked his colleague, oblivious to the unfolding battle beside him.

"Giggles," Leaf called out to her friend. "You're ready. Evolve," she ordered him, knowing that the Caterpie just needed slight encouragement to make the leap. Her command was followed promptly, a blinding light caused her to shield her eyes as it engulfed her Pokemon.

"What is that?!" a grunt cried before stumbling back.

"We don't own blue boats they're not ours," another called as he backed away from the light.

"I'm out of here," a further Rocket member added before fleeing the scene, his allies close behind him.

As the Zubat hesitantly joined his master in retreat the light faded to reveal a Metapod looking joyous. Snake spat venom towards the Zubat but her shot narrowly missed the creature and instead splattered across the glass of a porthole causing Leaf to notice the three Team Aqua dinghies nearing the ship. "Reinforcements," she said to herself and smiled.

"Please," Wally begged the trio of grunts before him. "Don't. He's my best friend." Tears filled his eyes as fear rendered him immobile as it mercilessly gripped his body. He stood on the lower deck just above sea level, the stairwell he had descended lay to his left and a further set of stairs led downwards to his right. Before him stood three Rocket members and a large open window where waves reached up over the sides and splashed onto the ship. Outside this window a duo of Zubat clutched onto his Pikachu where they dangled his friend above the open sea.

"Recall your Eevee," a grunt snapped to which Wally instantly obliged as his Eevee re-entered his Pokeball.

"Now call off your friends," another of the grunts growled. "Or we will drop your poor little 'friend' into the sea where he will drown."

"I can't," Wally cried. "I would but I don't know where they are and we haven't got anything to talk with," he spoke the truth. His PokeNav received no signal this far from land.

"Then it's bye bye Pikachu," the third grunt said with a gruff voice.

"No!" Wally screamed. "I'll try something just please don't-"

"Too late," the third grunt spoke again. "You've already told us you're useless."

"I'm not useless," Wally said downheartedly almost trying to convince himself, but the truth was he had felt useless his entire life and now his best friend was about to be granted a watery grave and he knew it was all his own fault.

"Yep you are," the third grunt said again before nodding to the two Zubats who released their grips of Wally's Pokemon. The Pikachu plunged towards death and Wally's Pokemon had never learned to swim. The result of him plummeting into the depths would result his beloved electric type drowning.

"No!" Wally cried out once again before seeing his Pokemon flailing helplessly in terror and crashing into the ocean to disappear forever. A soul searing pain tore through Wally as the bond between him and his closest friend was severed. He collapsed to his knees as his entire body became overtaken by a feeble numbness.

"Let's chuck him in the ocean too," the third grunt commanded.

"Bit far don't you think?" the second questioned him but was just laughed off by his colleagues.

"Will be funny," the first added. "Let's do it."

What happened thereafter came as just a blur to Wally. The three grunts grabbed his arms then hauled him to his feet before dragging him to the edge of the window where they began to lift him over the edge. They stopped suddenly then turned to face their new opponent whilst Wally slumped to the floor, released from the grunts' hold. A Clefairy named Moon took down a Zubat before a Metapod named Giggles evolved into a Butterfree and began to use Psychic attacks against the Rocket Pokemon.

The grunts eventually fled when Leaf approached Wally. She spoke to him but her words were just noise to his ears. Tt wasn't the fact that he felt so helpless or even that he had lost his closest friend. What kept replaying in his mind was the look of horror in his Pikachu's eyes as his friend plummeted towards his death, and that Wally had been too useless to save him.

* * *

Creaks and groans resounded around the ship's old walls whilst it gently bobbed up and down. The sight of Wally haunted Leaf as she progressed through the ship's underbelly with her team. She had never seen him so distraught or lifeless. At least Archie was on his way now and would surely have one of his men take Wally to a dinghy but Leaf knew she must press on to save Erik.

She ghosted through a hallway laden with mould and grime whilst descending deeper into the ship, heading for the Orlop deck which was the lowest level of the SS. Anne. Light struggled to pierce through the wooden beams as dimness gripped the area. The dank wooden walls were bare of anything other than dirt, barren of any of the impressive paintings that glamorously stretched out across the corridors of the upper decks.

The din of battle directed her through a growing darkness which threatened to impede her. Cries of fury echoed from a level below her, shouts of Rocket grunts furiously struggling to maintain order and keep the resistance at bay were conjoined with taunts from Blue who had seemingly managed to reach the lowest level before anyone else. Leaf turned a corner where light ascended from the end of the next hallway to partially perforate the gloom.

"Come on," she roared encouragement to her team whilst heading towards a staircase now revealed by the light. "We're almost there!"

Leaf almost tripped as she half-sprinted down the stairs with her team keeping in close proximity. She emerged into a large wooden room filled to the brim with Rocket grunts and Pokemon facing off against Blue. Recessed lights shone on the battle as sunlight pierced through the veil of water afront a series of portholes to further illuminate the scene. Leaf, however, kept her sight firmly fixed on the bolted steel door at the far side of the room.

"Finally," Blue joked to Leaf. "Could use the help."

"Thought you think everything you do is easy?" she retorted whilst directing her Pokemon into the fray

"You it?" he asked moving his eyes to the staircase she had descended alone.

"For now," she said solemnly as she scanned her opponents. She counted nine grunts and around two dozen Rocket Pokemon from Zubats to Rattata to Koffing and Grimer.

"Then let's go save Erik." Blue smiled confidently. His Rattata had evolved into a Raticate causing it to double in size as well as power whilst its previously lean frame had exploded into a ball of fat and fur. The newly evolved Pokemon had formed a good relationship with Blue's Charmander and the duo worked in unison to defeat a Koffing. His Abra zapped foes with psychic attacks from afar whilst his Pidgeotto battled aloft with Zubat aided by Giggles.

Fury entered his primal state whilst Dino sent spores floating through the air towards a cluster of Rocket fighters. Snake spat poison from afar now preferring to hang back with Dino rather than follow the lead of Moon and Fury by charging into the fray. Fin remained immobile preferring to let others do the work for him.

Moon skipped over a flailing Rattata which had been pummelled by Fury then ducked over another who had met the same fate, finding herself face to face with a Grimer. A vine from Dino whipped overhead and caught a Zubat who tumbled from above as Giggles swooped by. Moon hopped from one foot to another in preparation for the Grimer's attack but her opponent stubbornly waited for what the Clefairy assumed was for her to make the first move. Pain arrived before realisation of her mistake as a Rattata plunged his fangs into her side. The Grimer completed the double act by launching a stream of poisonous ooze towards the startled Clefairy who collapsed as both agony and venom consumed her.

A wail of desperation reached Fury's ears first causing the Mankey to spin on his heel to the sight of Moon failing. He grabbed a Zubat in his path and flung the creature out of his way whilst marching towards the prone Clefairy. The Rattata which had preyed on Moon now turned its attentions to Fury who refused to hesitate like the Clefairy had done. The Mankey almost flew as he leapt towards his foe, his fist connecting with a crunch before he dived to the side and rolled to avoid sludge launched by the Grimer. He climbed back to his feet to hammer a series of strikes into the Rocket creature then followed up with a wild kick on the Rattata who had since regained his senses. Both creatures fell to Fury's feet, defeated.

"Moon," Leaf whispered as a tearing sensation ruptured through her. "You were too late, Fury." She smiled sadly towards her Mankey who returned her look wearily. Moon had perished. The quick concurrence of her own failures and losses were stabbing at her like a knife. She had only just caught and grown to known her Clefairy, an elegant and joyful creature, and now she had lost yet another friend in her own personal crusade to rescue another. She needed a distraction from her emotional ailments and it came in the form of a titanic figure.

"Don't you think you're doing this without me," a gruff voice called from behind Leaf. A man wearing an aqua-blue bandana strolled up beside her. She noticed his navy-blue suit failed to hide his bulging muscles and the cape he wore trailed down to his ankles.

"Archie," she gasped then smiled to the man whilst meeting his piercing brown eyes. He had aged since she had last seen him, now slight wrinkles had begun to crease his dark skin.

"Good to see you again," he said and grinned at her, his smile still full of charisma

"Better late than never," Blue joked to the new arrival. "Where's the rest of your team?"

"Whilst you were playing about down here," Archie snapped to Blue with a hair raising fierceness. "My boys were securing the rest of the ship and helping out poor Wally who's now with my main men Mylos and Grant at the dinghies making sure of our escape."

"Ah," Blue replied, taken aback by Archie's intimidating demeanour. The former Team Aqua boss had been a strong ally of Erik in Hoenn and Leaf knew that Archie respected the leader of the Resistance immensely. It was due to Erik, after all, that he had risen to prominence within Hoenn's government structure.

"Right," Archie snapped to the Rocket grunts before them. Half of their Pokemon had fallen and the rest appeared either battered or fatigued. "You have two choices." He pointed towards one of them. "Either recall your Pokemon then run and hide in your cabins. Or die with them," he spoke so coldly Leaf felt a chill creep up her spine.

"I…" the Rocket grunt he had pointed to was frozen in place.

"Let's get out of here!" another screeched and bolted past Leaf. The rest of the grunts followed shortly thereafter with some even forgetting to recall their Pokemon, the creatures moving out of the way of Archie, Blue and Leaf.

"How we going to get through this door?" Leaf turned and asked Archie as she spied several locks and bolts firmly in place across the heavy steel door.

"Look like you could punch through it," Blue joked to the well built man to receive nothing but a glare in return. "Alright, alright. How about my Charmander melts the locks?"

"No," Archie responded before picking a Pokeball off his belt and summoning a Goldeen to join them. Blue laughed at the contrast as the petite fish bounced harmlessly next to her gigantic trainer who just pointed towards a section of wall next to the door. The Goldeen shot a stream of water at the wall and continued for close to a minute before running out of breathe.

"I don't think that'll work somehow." Blue rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," Archie said forcefully as he walked towards the soggy and soft section of wall.

"What're you do-" Blue began as Archie pulled back a fist. "Oh," he finished as the titan punched straight through the weakened wall. A gaping hole appeared where the wood once lay.

"After you," Archie said and smiled to Leaf.

"Thank you." Leaf smiled back and cautiously moved into the next room, pushing aside loose splinters of wood which remained.

"Greetings," a hollow voice welcomed them. The trio stepped into a cramped room dimly lit by failing light fixtures which only added to the depressive atmosphere and were met by an aged, hagged woman. Many boxes and crates lined the walls and each was brimming with the powder-like substance the Resistance has encountered previously.

"Who're you?" Leaf enquired whilst searching the room for any signs of Erik, of which there were none. She was forced to recall her Pokemon as all six were unable to squeeze inside and Archie followed suit by recalling his Goldeen. Blue, however, refused to relinquish his entire set of defences and withdrew only his Abra and Pidgeotto, leaving Charmander and Raticate as the trio's protection.

"My name is Agatha," the lady announced. Her dark eyes sunk inside her protruding skull which was covered with wisps of white hair. She bore an old fashioned purple dress that covered the entirety of her frail skin. "And I did not expect you to make it this far," her voice not only cracked as she spoke but her face winced as if the task took her great effort. She used a cane constructed of old wood which her frame almost sloped over.

"Where's Erik?" Leaf growled. "We were told he'd be down here."

Agatha released a slight cackle when she attempted to laugh.

"What's funny?" Archie spoke for the first time since entering.

"The man on the phone who told you Erik was down here," Agatha began, causing a shockwave to pulse through Leaf. "That was all a set up I'm afraid my dear."

"It can't have been," Leaf said as panic took her.

"Why?" Agatha continued. "Because he was right about the attack on Bill's cottage? Well my dear that was all staged especially to earn your trust."

"Why," Leaf squeaked as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Why?" Agatha repeated in a higher pitched tone. "To get all you Resistance in one place. The grunts were meant to defeat you in their numbers, dearies. If they failed then I would be the last bastion."

"You?" Archie laughed.

"She was one of the Elite Four 'til they disbanded," Blue warned him. "Don't underestimate her."

"She has no Pokemon," Archie said as he turned to him.

"I have one," Agatha said to their confusion. All three Resistance members quickly scanned the room but sighted no Pokemon other than Blue's Raticate and Charmander. "And you have one between you."

"We have two?" Leaf managed to say.

"My my," Agatha tutted. "Have you not heard of possession?"

"What?" Blue spoke nervously, he had been uncharacteristically quiet until this point. "I have a real bad feeling about all of this. Let's get out of here, Erik's gone," he said to his two allies.

"We take the old hag down," Archie declared. "Those crates must be valuable," he nodded to the boxes full of grains that surrounded the room.

"Possession," Agatha continued as if noone else had spoken. "Is a result of Rocket experimentation. Attempts to splice the powers of Pokemon with the genetics of mankind. I was the first success, patient zero. Phoebe of Hoenn was the second. As yet, we are the only two. Every other candidate died in the process."

"What you talking about," Archie said, enraged.

"I shall show you." The old lady's pupils began to glow a deep violet before the air around her seemed to distort slightly.

"Get your Pokemon to stop whatever she's doing," Archie roared to Blue, which seemed to shock the young trainer.

"Ye-yeah," Blue said. A look of apprehension had affixed itself to his features since he had entered the room. "Raticate stop her," he ordered his Pokemon who stood motionless. "Raticate?" he repeated before the creature turned to face them. Blue nearly fell as he stumbled backwards in horror and Leaf almost joined him such was their shock. The Raticates eyes were violet.

"Attack," Agatha hissed to Blue's Pokemon who responded by baring his fangs towards Blue and charging towards his trainer. Charmander reacted quickest and spewed flamed towards the oncoming Pokemon setting its fur ablaze. A deathly scream filled the room before Blue's fire type released the creature from Possession by engulfing the Raticate in fire.

"Raticate," Blue cried, he had clearly been close with his Pokemon. "What have you-" he began before being interrupted by Agatha's hysterical laughter.

"Enjoy that?" Agatha cackled. "Your Charmander is next," she announced as her eyes turned purple once more.

"Enough!" Archie boomed. The titan stormed towards the elderly woman and shoved her to the ground before the Possession could take hold. "Any more of that and I'll toss you into the ocean. We'll see how your tricks do in there!"

"You'd strike an old lady?" the frail woman whimpered. "Then allow me to introduce you to plan B."

"What now?!" Archie roared.

"If the grunts and I were to fail," she began as she crawled towards one of the crates. "We had to stop the Resistance somehow."

"Stop," Archie commanded her when she reached the crate. When she ignored the request he marched over to her but it was too late. Agatha reached into the box and pulled from it a device shaped like a remote with one button coloured blue, another red, as well as a small blank screen on top. Archie reached down as she pressed the blue button which caused the screen to light up with the numbers "180" glowing red. He grabbed the remote from the woman before she was able to press the red button and began looking for an off switch as the numbers began to tick down by one with every second.

"It's a timer," Leaf gasped.

"Three minutes?" Blue realised. "'Til what?" he asked of Agatha.

"See these crates?" The woman looked around the room. "They fill certain key sections of the ship and now I've activated the timer."

"Timer for what," Archie grumbled and stamped on her hand causing the women to shriek in agony.

"They're all set to explode!" she conceded before Archie landed a fist on her skull, rendering the elderly lady unconscious.

"Was that really necessary?" Blue asked him before the former Team Aqua boss stormed past the duo.

"We need to go. Now!" Archie commanded. Leaf and Blue followed whilst releasing their Pokemon ready to battle their way through grunts attempting to stop them fleeing to the dinghies and escaping.

* * *

Several Rocket grunts appeared blatantly oblivious to the danger they were in and instead of joining Leaf, Archie and Blue in abandoning the ship they instead attempted to block their escape. Fury lashed out at a grunt attempting to bar the Resistance's path whilst Archie grabbed and threw another.

"You all need to get out of here," Leaf shouted to a duo of grunts which barred a doorway at the end of a hallway.

"You wish," one of the Rocket members snarled at her in response before being greeted by a threatening whip from one of Dino's vines. "You get your Pokemon to attack us!" he followed. "That's immoral."

"That's rich coming from you." Blue laughed at the stricken grunt then told his Pidgeotto to chase away the other.

"Not when it's life or death!" Leaf bellowed.

"Move!" Archie roared to the first grunt before shoving him to the floor like an animal on the charge. "I reckon we have about a minute left."

"We'll never make it," Leaf gasped whilst struggling to catch her breath after sprinting through several hallways and climbing numerous stairwells.

"Keep going," Archie responded. Leaf glanced out of a passing porthole and sighted the ocean below had begun to lose its calmness as grey clouds rolled overhead to darken the world below. They reached another set of stairs where she climbed them two at a time in haste.

"How many more?" Leaf asked.

"More what?" Archie said impatiently.

"Times you're going to complain?" Blue said sarcastically from behind her.

"We're going to die and all you can do is a make a joke?" she snapped.

"Stairs?" Archie ignored the brewing argument. "Not many. Two more flights at most."

The stairway arched round a bend then exited into a corridor packed with grunts. Leaf recognised this hallway as the one she had first appeared in once she had exited the storage room her box had been taken to. As she once more remarked the walls that were a pristine white and decked with many paintings she realised the extortionate cost Team Rocket were going to just to decimate the Resistance.

"Get out the way!" Archie boomed towards a cluster of grunts which had set up a human barricade at the end of the hallway. He continued his charge unimpeded, refusing to allow the Rocket members satisfaction of causing their deaths.

"Archie!" Leaf squealed as both her and Blue stopped dead in the tracks, counting eight grunts positioned in the only exit.

"Don't stop!" Archie shot at them before colliding with the eight men attempting to stop them. A couple flew backwards like pins after being struck by a bowling bowl whilst the rest collapsed to the floor with titan upon them. He pummelled one then smashed his forehead against another but the sheer numbers soon began to overwhelm him, pinning him to the floor. "Run you idiots!" he bellowed to Leaf and Blue whose Pokemon were now attacking the grunts to save Archie. "Run!"

"Let's go." Blue nodded to her. "Our Pokemon will catch us up."

Leaf nodded then followed Blue's lead, both jumping over the battle at the exit. They ascended the next staircase, then galloped through a hallway until a terrifying boom caused them to freeze in their tracks. The entire ship rumbled and shook violently, causing both Blue and Leaf to collide with walls as they struggled to maintain their footing. Paintings fell from the walls with a crack as their frames snapped, the walls creak and splintered as the roof began to split. More booms resounded, some louder than others and Leaf felt the ship noticeably begin to sink into the ocean's unforgiving depths.

"We seriously need to move," Blue said whilst clinging onto a pipe which had come loose. The ship was beginning to tilt slightly as it took on water and it wouldn't be long until the entire vessel was either completely submerged underwater or consumed by flames.

"But Archie and our Pokemon," she panicked. "We need to-"

"They'll catch up," Blue said before she could finish. He released his tight grip on the pipe and started to wobble before regaining his footing and bursting into a sprint towards the final set of stairs. Leaf followed swiftly after. They exited the top of the staircase into the outer deck where they were met by Mylos and Grant. The former was a hefty man with a slight pot belly and a bright smile upon his aging face. Grant was his opposite. Young and lean but beset by a constant look of worry. Leaf peered across the sun deck and sighted ropes tied around the sides.

"Dinghies are at the end of the rope," Mylos spoke in a similar voice to Archie's. "Wally's on there waiting. Proper shook up, that kid."

"Who else?" Leaf asked as another explosion rang from underneath.

"What you mean who else?" Mylos replied as Blue walked over to the edge of the deck and waved down to Wally below. "They're all in there with you!"

"We've only seen Archie and he should be here soon," Leaf said and smiled at Grant who gave her a shy half-smile in return.

"The rest of our boys are still inside. They were to defeat as many grunts as they could to hold them off whilst Archie went after you lot," Mylos spoke in Grant's place. Another explosion sounded which seemingly caused a chain reaction when a further boom echoed from the far end of the ship followed by more which seemed to crawl ever closer to where they stood.

"We need to go," Mylos announced.

"We wait for Archie and our Pokemon," Leaf said stubbornly.

"Archie told us in case of an emergency we was to leave him here," Grant spoke having finally found his voice. "Erik, Wally, Blue and Leaf are our priority," he spoke as if reciting instructions word for word.

"Where is that little scamp?" Mylos asked, implying Erik. The explosions sounded ever closer.

"It was a trap, he wasn't here," Leaf said solemnly.

"Right, we need to move. Now," Mylos spoke with authority and marched towards the rope which Blue had already descended. Grant followed obediently behind him. Leaf walked hurriedly to the edge of the ship and peered downwards to sight three dinghies, one to be manned by Grant, one Archie and the other by Mylos. Wally currently sat in Grant's boat whilst Blue took his place on Mylos's.

"I'm waiting for them," Leaf decided as she stood by the ropes.

"Won't have to wait long," Mylos said as he descended the rope with Grant in tow. Leaf turned back towards the exit where Fin bounced towards her. Giggles flew out carrying Dino on her back with Snake wrapped around her abdomen. Blue's Pidgeotto carried his Abra within its talons as a Charmander rode his back.

"To the boats," Leaf ordered them awaiting sight of both Archie and Fury whilst the explosions grew ever closer.

"They're dinghies," Grant shouted up from below to receive a furious glare from Leaf. Fin hopped off the side into the ocean as the two airborne Pokemon took their passengers to the dinghies below. It was then Archie and Fury emerged covered in blood and bruises, half-helping the other to walk. An explosion burst out of the ship from beside them sending pieces of wood rocketing into the sky.

"I'm coming," Leaf told the injured duo.

"No!" Archie bellowed. He knew what was coming. Fury released his grip on the former Aqua boss and charged towards Leaf using all the energy he could muster. The final bomb exploded from directly below them, the fires catching the fallen Archie and engulfing him in a tomb of flames. It all seemed to happen in slow motion to Leaf. She froze in horror as Fury raced towards her as planks of wood flew into the air. Flames from the explosion shot through exposed wood and licked up to catch the Mankey, causing his fur to catch fire. Fury refused to stop despite the agony, he had entered a primal rage borne not of battle but a sheer desperation to save his trainer's life if it was the last thing he would ever achieve. Leaf turned her eyes from the deathly screams of Archie being consumed by flames to Fury and locked eyes with him. "I'm sorry," she managed to whisper before the wooden plank beneath her shot up. Fury dived through the air and shoved Leaf over the side of the ship.

She tumbled downwards towards the ocean with sorrow gripping her heart as she watched Fury collapse before the explosion took him. She smashed into the ocean's raging surface and was pulled underneath where she found herself rendered motionless by her wistful emotions. Chunks of fiery wood sunk past her as the ocean claimed the lives which the explosions could not. She sighted Aqua grunts entwined with Rocket members whilst Pokemon from both sides joined their trainers in a watery grave. Leaf closed her eyes as she prepared to join them before feeling a startling bump on her side. It was Fin. The Magikarp pushed her towards the surface where vines wrapped around her and pulled her onto the dinghy.

* * *

"What a mess," Blue said then sighed at the burning remains of the ship.

"I never thought Rocket could be capable," Mylos spoke softly. "Archie…"

"Is gone," Blue said coldly. "And Rocket won't give us time to mourn." He looked across the Wally and Leaf aboard Grant's dinghy. Both were distressed and devastated.

"The war on Johto is finished," Mylos said with a grimace. "And now they're focusing on Hoenn."

"They want the Resistance gone first," Blue corrected him.

"War is coming to Hoenn." Mylos locked eyes with him. "I'm afraid the Resistance is on its own now. We need to retreat to our homeland and prepare our defences, you lot are welcome to join us."

"Never," Blue said instantly. "Our war is here."

"I've not seen you before," Mylos said then looked away to the fiery wreckage. "Who are you?"

"My name is Blue Oak."

"And why do you fight, Blue?"

"Something to do I suppose," he said and grinned at the man opposite who failed to share his humour.

"Don't pretend you don't care,"

"I want to be Pokemon Champion," Blue said.

"No, there's more," Mylos pressed him.

"You never struck me as a perceptive man," Blue joked.

"I'm not. But I know a liar when I see one," Mylos spoke sharply.

"Careful," Blue said whilst taken aback by the accusation.

"I shall take you to shore, as shall Grant with Leaf and Wally," Mylos moved the conversation on. "But then we must all retreat to Hoenn. I hope the Resistance succeeds."

"Me too," Blue agreed. "Honestly. Me too."


	10. Silver and Stone

**Chapter Nine - Silver and Stone**

Leaf looked out to the angry sea whilst light drops of rain patted her face. She rested against a small mound of dirt which rose from the dirty-yellow sands before her. The flaming wreckage had now been swallowed whole by the sea leaving no evidence of the previous carnage leaving silence to prevail over the landscape.

"You two ready?" Blue asked both Leaf and Wally. The latter sat bolt upright next to Leaf and had his arms wrapped around his legs which he held close to his body. "Hello?" Blue repeated when neither of them spoke. He stood behind them appearing unaffected by the chaos and losses of Archie, Hoenn's elite fighters and their own Pokemon. "You think Rocket are gonna allow us to wallow in our own tears?" Blue raised his voice slightly when neither replied once more.

"Blue," Leaf said so quietly her voice was like a whisper. "Give us time."

"We don't have time," Blue responded then looked to Wally. "Come on mate, it's not like you to be so down."

"Do you not understand," Leaf said for her friend. "He's in shock."

"What about you? Blue turned to face the ocean as he spoke. "How long will you need because we're marked now. With Johto gone, we're next."

"I know," Leaf responded.

"Yeah and?" Blue said impatiently, then after a few seconds of receiving nothing in response began walking back towards Vermillion City. "Right," he shouted back. "Whilst you two cry together I'm gonna go ahead and take down Rocket by myself. I'm heading south."

"The tournament," Leaf thought to herself as she watched Blue skulk away. She had forgotten completely about it before now. "Kanto is divided into north and south for the next round, which means-"

"I'm resigning from the tournament," Wally announced to her, speaking for the first time since losing his Pikachu aboard the ship.

"You can't!" Leaf exclaimed. She was completely taken aback by the revelation.

"It's pointless," Wally continued motionlessly whilst looking downwards. "Why be a trainer? All you do is lose your friends. And for what? To be a 'Champion'? What difference will that make."

"Because the people will listen to the Champion," Leaf replied with urgency in her voice. "Like in Hoenn when Erik became Champion it managed to rally the people around him and overthrow Rocket's influence from the region."

"How do we know it will work again?" Wally said despondently.

"It has to," Leaf spoke without conviction.

"Rocket have been a step above us with every move we've made," he continued with his voice bereft of tone. "This is their tournament which means we'll never win it. What we need is to focus our energy on finding Erik."

"And then what?" Leaf snapped. Her frustration wasn't at Wally himself, but that his words rang true. "Erik's whole idea was to eventually become Champion of Kanto?"

"I don't know," Wally admitted. "But with the Servants' aid… Maybe we can take the fight straight to Rocket?"

"Where? We don't even know where to start?"

"Then that's what I'll do," Wally decided. "I shall find out where Giovanni is."

"What about me and Blue?" Leaf asked the question as much to herself as she did to Wally.

"Blue is in it for personal glory," Wally said without bitterness. "So he will want to become Champion."

"Yep," Leaf agreed.

"And you are desperate to prove yourself," Wally said which caused a flare of anger within Leaf at the accusation, but she swiftly swallowed her pride and nodded. "But you also do want to do good and help." This caused a slight smile on her face. "I think you should do what you think is right."

"And you?" Leaf asked him before remembering his small rant at the docks. "Nevermind," she quickly corrected herself. "I think I will follow Erik and Oak's plan to try and become Champion."

"It will be tough," Wally warned her then lifted his head up for the first time and began looking towards the ocean. "Rocket will fix it to give you difficult challenges against difficult people. Also, they may lead you into traps."

"One thing I've never understood," Leaf began whilst looking towards her officially supplied wrist device. "Is why they don't just track us on these things?"

"Because," Wally said and chuckled. "Oak tampered with them so that our locations are sort've untrackable."

"But they'll know I'll be in the north and Blue south for the next round?"

"They will. But they won't know exactly where. Just that you two are in a certain section of Kanto."

"So they'll be hunting us in full force? Sending their armies to certain sections of Kanto they know we're in?"

"No," Wally paused and wondered himself why they hadn't done that already. It was Leaf that realised first.

"They think they have us already," she said. "That we are completely under their control. We weren't supposed to escape the ship but it was so easy for them to get us all together."

"Yep," Wally agreed. "Also they don't want to raise the suspicions of everyone else. They want people to think the ruling powers are stable and strong, having martial law on the streets or large patrols will cause people to doubt that."

"So what do we do?" Leaf asked whilst trying to work out a plan in her own mind.

"I don't know," Wally admitted. "But if we both try our best I'm sure we will manage." He turned his head wearily but managed to crack a weak smile at her.

"Good luck finding Erik," she said whilst returning a slight grin. "And I shall try my best to become Champion."

They returned to silence as both Resistance trainers stared off into the raging sea. Leaf pondered whether she had made the correct decision but knew that only time would tell. For now, she'd have to accept yet another failure aboard the SS. Anne and take Blue's cue in order to move on from the losses of Archie, Fury, Moon and everyone else aboard the doomed vessel..

* * *

Smiles of several people beamed around the marble table joined by crystal glasses clinking together which caused champagne to spill over the rims and onto lavishly expensive suits whilst celebratory cheers filled the room. Silver took no joy in the revelry and instead preferred to spend most of the occasion staring mournfully out of the large open pane which peered over the hubbub of the city. Regret filled him, the plan had been to capture the Resistance's leaders within the ship. Instead, dozens of lives were spent just to eliminate a small pocket of their members and the Rocket executives were celebrating like they'd won two wars instead of just the fight for Johto..

"Hooray for 'Vanni!" Courtney shrieked across the racket raising her glass aloft. She had returned victorious from their campaign in Johto having subdued the region and Silver knew this was the main cause for the commotion. His 'success' on the SS. Anne came second.

"Kanto victorious!" a man bellowed from the far end of the room's gigantic marble table. His auburn hair was spiked above his taut face and deep brown eyes. Unlike the rest of the gathered executives who wore black and purple suits, this man bore a tight fighting Dragon Tamer outfit with his a wine-red cape which trailed from his shoulders down to his ankles. His name was Lance, the old Champion of Kanto and now Giovanni's representative for all Pokemon trainers in the region.

Giovanni himself stood patiently at the head of the table and allowed his established guests to enjoy their moment whilst he scanned each and every one of them. Judging them, Silver knew, not just as people but their reaction to the success would allow him a glimpse into their loyalties. As always, Courtney sat to his right hand side and Silver to his left.

"Pathetic," Silver thought to himself whilst returning his attention to the gathered ensemble. "All I see is lapdogs. Rich men desperate for my father's favour. Corrupt bureaucrats and businessmen. Bent army leaders and dodgy mayors. All worshipping Giovanni like some sort of deity. Pathetic."

Giovanni tapped his glass twice to emit a soft but sharp sound which had the effect of an explosion. A hush descended over the entire room as the gathered men and women cut their conversations short and returned to their seats to obediently listen to their host's speech.

"Thank you all for coming," Giovanni said. Silver looked through the guests once more to see all of them silent and attentive like hounds awaiting their master's praise. The Team Rocket leader began to talk about their success in Johto and how it was such a momentous day in the history of mankind but Silver was only half-listening. His mood remained dark and glum as he thought of how easy it had been to manipulate Leaf and the Resistance into his father's trap. It had all been Giovanni's plan and his victims had followed it precisely down to the last detail. His father had ordered the docks heavily manned to cement the Resistance's suspicions about Erik being on board but also left the loading cranes lightly guarded to funnel the Resistance in. The route's through the ship from where the crates were loaded unto the lowest level of the ship where Agatha awaited were to be patrolled by a few of their weaker and more flighty grunts whilst the more elite Rocket members were to seal escape routes and cut off any support that would likely arrive from Hoenn. It had been Giovanni's plan all along to trap the Resistance with Agatha and blow the ship to smithereens, Silver finally realised. But whilst most of Hoenn's relief force had been decimated, a few key members of the Resistance had exceeded expectations and managed to escape.

"Any questions?" Giovanni asked his beckoning audience after finishing his speech about the fall of Johto.

"When do I get to take Hoenn?" Courtney squirmed in her seat with excitement.

"Not yet," Giovanni said coolly. "Hoenn is a much more secure and well defended region than Johto. It will take great effort to capture, therefore we need our battlesuits at full working capacity, a stage which they have not yet reached." He cast a warning look towards a certain man who Silver guessed was responsible for their design.

"They shall-" the man began his defence.

"Silence," Giovanni said calmly but the terrified reaction of the man indicated to Silver that his father had threatened him more fiercely previously. "I have a further weapon in development. A superweapon the likes of which this planet has never seen. One which even surpasses Lord Raven's." This news came as a shock to Silver who hadn't the slightest clue of Lord Raven's weapon or the one Rocket had in top secret development. "When my weapon is ready along with the battlesuits, we shall crush Hoenn beneath us as easily as a Venusaur would to a Caterpie." A roar of approval sounded around the room from everyone apart from Silver and the man Giovanni had threatened with silence, who now just cowered and shook uncontrollably.

"My son," Giovanni said directly to Silver in full viewing of the crowd. "You have done well. Impressed me even. This is what happens when you follow my wishes." The praise took Silver aback. It was the first time in his life that his father had given him even the slightest hint of a compliment.

"Thank you father," Silver said and nodded as this is what was expected of him. He had yearned his whole life for his father's approval or even a slight hint of Giovanni even accepting him as a son. The day had arrived and Silver had imagined all his life he would have been full of pride and joy at the moment. Instead he felt sorrow, a pain which had festered for years was beginning to resurface. He had spent so long trying to bury the loneliness he felt within him and replace it with anger, but the compliment he had just received served only to rekindle remorse and emotional suffering.

"Our full focus now," Giovanni continued, paying his son no more attention. "Should be on cleaning up our own house. Reports inform me that two boats escaped the SS. Anne carrying Leaf and Wally aboard amongst others. These two are now our primary targets and from now on I shall be handling their capture and subsequent execution personally. They shall be extinguished from our region within a week. This, I promise you."

Silver grumbled quietly. Despite his success his father now had removed from him the duty of capturing Resistance leaders. He knew Giovanni would have a calculated plan of how to catch both Leaf and Wally but for now his father kept his cards close to his chest. Silver would have to wait and see what happened next.

* * *

A chill breeze whistled through a gap in the rocky hills where the lake cut through. Aside from a slight wind Route 10 was blanketed in a tranquil silence which would shortly be transformed into unrefined chaos.

Leaf breathed in the fresh, clean air and planted her feet on the freshly cut lawns. A flat of grass lay aside the lake and on it stood both the female trainer and her infamous opponent, a former Champion who had been Erik's greatest foe in Hoenn and had deep ties with Team Rocket. The Criminal organisation had paid him with money and expensive stones to front their advance into Hoenn only to be stopped by Erik within. He stood now opposite Leaf a defeated man, imprisoned in his home region but somehow freed by Rocket and brought to Kanto in order to stop the Resistance.

"Ready?" Leaf said, her voice laced with fury. He had clearly been their inside informant who had told Rocket of her, Wally and Eriks' true identities.

"I'm back," he declared in a cool, calm voice. He bore a black suit and a red tie matched by his black trousers. His purple loafer shoes and gloves completed the Team Rocket colour scheme, he was their man now. "And ready to take my revenge on you Resistance lot," he said whilst looking at Leaf through eyes of ice and brushed light-turquoise hair from his eyes.

"Steven Stone," Leaf said his name. "The man who lost to Erik."

"Leaf Fuguri," Steven replied, his eyes betraying no flicker of emotion. "Erik's pet rat."

Leaf ignored the jibe and instead preferred to consider which of her Pokemon to use first in battle. She had withdrawn a Pidgey named Feather which she'd caught on Route 5, and an Oddish called Sap that she captured on Route 4 to replace the fallen Moon and Fury. The former was a proud bird who tended to stick to the skies rather than spend time with her teammates whereas the grass type Sap was still in his infancy which rendered him small and shy. "I'll use Feather first," she decided.

She cast her gaze over the patch of grass before her to the lake on her left and the entrance to a cave known as Rock Tunnel on her right. The location seemed more apt for a garden party or peaceful gathering than a Pokemon battle but this was a time of a war albeit unbeknownst to the majority of Kanto's unwittingly oppressed population.

Steven began the battle using a Venonat as his first Pokemon and the small purple ball of fluff with bulging red eyes and surprisingly sharp fangs bounced on the spot. Erik had defeated all the ex-Champion's Pokemon in Hoenn leaving Leaf to assume that every fighter he now used in battle were gifts from Team Rocket.

"Paralyse the bird," Steven said coolly to his bug type Pokemon, who responded to his trainer's orders by launching spores towards his foe. Feather floated above the patch of grass flapping her wings calmly and judging the Venonat through her beady eyes. Before the dusty cloud of paralytic pollen could reach her she glided higher into the skies and retreated above the lake aside the battlefield as the spores harmlessly disintegrated before they could reach Leaf. Feather darted towards the Venonat and swooped down with razor-like talons aimed at her opponent who rolled out of the way in anticipation, causing the Pidgey to swipe at the empty ground. Steven chuckled at the miss born from inexperience but Leaf remained focused. She knew her Pokemon would learn from her initial mistakes.

The Venonat crouched to await the Pidgey's next move where Leaf guessed the purple ball of fur would pounce upon its foe and sink its fangs into Feather. Her heart stopped as her Pokemon began another downward descent towards the Venonat's trap. She was stuck in two minds about whether to warn her Pokemon or to trust her to notice the ploy. Feather swooped towards her foe then stopped mid-dive before repeatedly batting her wings downwards at a rapid pace creating a gust of wind which blew her foe backwards. The Pidgey then leapt upon her foe and defeated the Venonat with beak and talons.

"Ah," Steven said with a sigh. "Clever move," he conceded then flung another Pokeball. A Beedrill emerged from within and buzzed around the scene eagerly awaiting Leaf's next fighter.

"Sap's turn," she shouted to Feather who proudly glided back to her side. She released the Oddish next onto the battlefield, the grass type creeping sheepishly across the flat terrain whilst flashing constant nervous glances back towards his trainer. "It's okay," Leaf whispered to her Pokemon. "You'll do fine," she said then smiled at the Oddish to no effect.

Sap's fears were shown to be well placed. Steven's Beedrill tore through the feeble grass type like a Goldeen through water. A lance pierced Sap's side in a failed attempt at a dodge before the Beedrill narrowly missed with his stringer. The Oddish prepared to counter attack with spores but was cut off by a furious assault by his opponent's deadly lances. Battered, bruised and almost defeated, Sap was recalled by Leaf who patched him up with a potion whilst Giggles took to the fray.

Leaf's Butterfree danced joyfully in the skies and giggled to himself in the aftermath of his brief performance. The Beedrill seemed angered by the act, as if the show was to taunt him when in fact Giggles was just playful. Steven's Pokemon zapped through the air at frightening speeds then lashed a lance out towards the Butterfree who twirled aside to dodge the blow. Giggles hung in the air awaiting his foe's next attack which came rapidly by way of the Beedrill's stinger. Leaf's Pokemon twisted through the air again to avoid a lethal strike then retaliated by emitting spores into the air before him. Steven's Pokemon attempted a third attack by launching itself with its lances pointed towards his foe. The Beedrill swept through the pollen then pulled back a spike to thrust at Giggles, who just purposely plummeted to the grass and sat there awaiting his opponent. Seconds later, the Beedrill dropped from the sky and landed next to the Butterfree with a painful crash, sleeping soundly.

"Two down," Leaf declared whilst Giggles picked up the sleeping Beedrill and dropped the bug type into the river, laughing all the way. "And I'm without loss."

"These Pokemon were gifts from Courtney herself," Steven announced proudly. "Six Pokemon trained by her during her early career as a trainer that she no longer needed use of."

"Her rejects then," Leaf taunted him. "The ones she deemed not good enough."

"Could say the same of you," Steven said calmly. "The Resistance's weakest member. The reject."

"And that reject is beating you," Leaf said and felt her anger flare like a volcano threatening to erupt inside her before she took in a sharp breath of air to quell the growing flames of rage.

"Not for long," Steven responded as he picked another Pokeball from his belt, this one housing an Onix. Leaf replied with Sap, the oddish given gentle encouragement from his trainer as he skulked out to meet the enormous rock snake.

Steven's rock type instantaneously lashed out a gigantic tail which slammed into the ground with such force it indented into the grass. Sap had dived at the final moment and narrowly avoided a painful crushing. The Oddish attempted to mimic the plan of Giggles before him by launching sleeping spores towards the Onix because whilst the giant snake was immensely powerful, the species were also lacking intellect and Steven wouldn't care to mention the threat to his Pokemon. That was the former Champion's weakness, a lack of empathy and concern towards those who fought for him.

The Onix swung his tail in a half-circle in its efforts to collide with Sap who responded by leaping closer towards his opponent where the tail couldn't reach him. The snake chomped downwards, hoping to catch the Oddish in its gigantic jaws and crush the grass type within, but instead only gulped in the sleeping spores which sent the Onix into a fatal slumber. The instant the Onix smashed into the floor Sap was upon it shooting poisonous spores into the helpless Pokemon's system. Suddenly, Leaf's Pokemon became consumed by a bright light. Sap was evolving. The victory the Oddish had seized ended in him gaining the belief he needed to transform from a petite blue blob with leaves penetrating from its head into a larger creature known as Gloom who sported a red-brown flower where leaves once were and featured a constant stream of poisonous drool seeping from its mouth.

"Three down," Leaf said joyously then recalled Sap to her side, his work was done. Steven looked slightly unshaken now as if he was contemplating a possible defeat for the first time.

"I have too much riding on this," he spoke once he regained his composure. "How about we make a deal?"

"Go on?" Leaf replied whilst confused at his sudden offer.

"The loser gives up on being a Pokemon trainer forever," he announced. "They hand in their licence and release all Pokemon from their possession." Leaf took a moment to ponder the sudden high stakes, why would not only a trainer but an ex-Champion of Steven's calibre make such an abrupt offer. Unless that was the agreement Team Rocket had offered him in the first place. They had released him from Hoenn's prisons to gather intelligence about the Resistance and use him against them in battle and then, to keep him motivated, threaten to take away his licence forever if he were to lose against Leaf.

"Deal," she agreed. She was winning the battle relatively easily, she sensed his adeptness as a trainer but also knew there was no bond or trust between Steven and his Pokemon. Also, despite the threat against his licence, she noticed he had a distinct lack of interest towards the unfolding battle.

"Agreed," he nodded then released a Graveler, the evolved version of Geodude, to face Leaf's next battler who was to be Feather as she decided she wanted to see more of the Pidgey in action. Her rock type opponent came in the form of a large boulder featuring two scarily muscular arms outstretched and a further two, smaller arms protruding from its stomach.

Feather moved far more swiftly than her opponent but Leaf knew she lacked its sheer strength and her talons and beak would struggle to scratch the rock skin of the Graveler. This is why she'd put her Pidgey up for the challenge, to prove itself to her although if her Pokemon started struggling then she would recall her. Feather began by gliding above her opponent, circling the giant boulder and attempted to discern any sign of weakness within its intimidating frame.

"Take it down," Steven said to one of his Pokemon for only the second time and once again his battler responded. The Graveler stamped towards the outside walls of Rock Tunnel with each stomp, causing the world to shake slightly. Once it had reached the rocky sides it clamped onto a boulder and claimed it as its own by ripping it from the wall before holding it aloft. Feather had remained in close proximity above her foe and studied his actions with curiosity. Steven's Pokemon suddenly span and launched the boulder towards Leaf's Pidgey who failed to react in time. The stone collided with her and she tumbled as if she'd lost use of both wings. As Feather flapped and toiled in a desperate attempt to recover her aerial superiority the Graveler approached, causing Leaf's heart to thunder in her chest.

"Feather," Leaf cried out to her Pokemon. "Get up, please. I need you to get up. I can't lose you too." Her mind flashed back to the SS. Anne where she envisaged Moon and Fury falling once more. The Graveler reached his prone target and lifted fists like anvils before lowering them to pummel Leaf's Pokemon. As if in response to her trainer's begging anguish Feather became entombed in a white light. Her frame grew larger, as did her mane, wings, beak and talons before the brightness vanished leaving in its place a newly evolved Pidgeotto.

"To the cave," Steven commanded his Pokemon who had been dumbstricken by the change in events. Leaf realised this was a clever move as in the open her Pidgeotto retained an advantage of having open skies and room to maneuver whereas inside Rock Tunnel they would be in cramped, tight spaces surrounded by many boulders in conditions much more suited to his Graveler.

"Feather return," she ordered her freshly transformed Pokemon. "There's no room for you in there," she added when she had received a frustrated glance in return. Feather was desperate to try out her new body and test the extents of her power and agility but upon her trainer's next words she understood her worries. Leaf released Snake to fight within the cave.

Darkness swelled within Rock Tunnel's eerie brown walls. Zubat flew nonchalantly above or hung upside down from the roof alongside rocks like stone icicles. Wide open spaces were dotted between thick chunks of rock and rises of earth where wild Pokemon such as Geodude and Machop watched the onslaught below like a curious audience.

Snake hissed at Steven's Graveler before spurting a purple acid towards her opponent before Leaf's Ekans coiled around herself and awaited the Graveler's response. The poisonous substance splashed ineffectively against the rock type's solid skin then trickled harmlessly to the stone surface beneath its feet. Steven's Pokemon unleashed a roar of defiance towards Snake who now appeared unnerved by her failure to even slightly penetrate her opponent's seemingly impervious defences.

"Think clever," Leaf shouted to her Pokemon. "You might not be able to poison that thing but there are other ways of defeating it." Her Ekans glanced nervously from foe to trainer and back again. A smile carved itself onto Steven's face when he realised Snake's predicament. He glanced to Leaf and winked at her then ordered his Pokemon to finish the job.

Graveler stomped casually over to his opponent with the cave rumbling with each heavy step. Snake slithered slowly backwards, too fearful to take her eyes off her opponent and begin a full retreat either back to Leaf's side or back out of the tunnel and into the open. Steven's Pokemon approached with death in its dark eyes and once close enough to Snake it began to lift its lethal fists into the air to pummel the Ekans. But it had all been a trap.

Snake darted away and shot acid towards a giant stone icicle which lay directly overhead of the Graveler. The shot landed at the base of her target and began to melt the stone whilst Steven's Pokemon remained unaware of his peril. The rock type withdrew his fists and turned sluggishly towards Snake when the icicle fell and arrowed towards the Graveler where it pierced through the rock in a cry of agony.

"Four down," Leaf said, grinning at Steven whose face had turned dark. She released Dino from its Pokeball to join Giggles and Feather by her side but a shake of the head from Snake caused Leaf to leave her Ekans in the fray, the poison type was eager to carry on her victorious momentum. Steven replied with a Meowth, a creature which closely resembled a cat but stood upright on two legs. The cream-coloured normal type featured knifelike claws and had a golden coin embedded on its forehead.

Snake shot poison at her new opponent but the Meowth was too agile for the strike, darting to one side then acrobatically leaping over a second attempt at a venomous spurt. Once her foe approached the Ekans whipped out her tail where poison dripped off the pointed end. Steven's Pokemon caught the tail mid-air and plunged a set of razor claws to puncture Snake's slimy skin. The Meowth slashed Snake across the face when she attempted to bite a retaliation then headbutted the flailing Ekans with such force Leaf's Pokemon was thrown to the stone ground and splayed across the surface. Steven's Pokemon finished the fight with his claws ripping apart the bond which held Leaf together with her Ekans. Leaf had to stop herself from collapsing to the ground as the pain gnawed at her but managed to retain her composure in front of Steven who would see any sign of weakness as an advantage he could use.

Steven grinned at Leaf but his triumph was short lived. Giggles burst onto the battlefield at the sight of his friend's defeat and penetrated the Meowth's mind with psychic attacks which resonated in waves. Unable to oppose the Butterfree's aerial advantage, Steven's Pokemon succumbed to the psychic slaughter and left Hoenn's ex-Champion down to his final hope, a Charmander. Leaf refused to be dictated to by her Pokemon this time when Giggles insisted he remained in battle and sent Dino to end Steven's career as a trainer.

Flame met rock as aggression met avoidance. Charmander spewed fire across the tunnel whilst Dino hastily hid behind any boulder he could find to avoid incineration. Steven's Pokemon aimed at the icicles in an attempt to trap or pierce the Ivysaur who had thus far evaded his attacks. Dino sensed an opportunity whilst his opponent launched flames towards the roof and used his vines to lift a boulder from a ground then flung it towards the unaware fire type. Dino's rock collided with the Charmander with a crack and pained wail. Stone icicles fell from above after being weakened by fire and landed across the room, one crashing into the prone Charmander and allowed Leaf to progress to the next round of the tournament after having had defeated her opponent.

"Hmph," the ex-Champion commented whilst appearing seemingly unperturbed by his defeat.

"You're done," Leaf said, grinning towards him. "For good."

"I suppose," Steven said and returned the grin. It was now clear to Leaf that his desire to be a trainer had already been extinguished by the defeat to Erik. "I shall relinquish my licence."

"Then what?" Leaf said and felt her anger rising. "Become an informant to Rocket? Do their bidding?"

"Only if you refuse to agree to my next offer," he said, still smiling.

"What do you want now?"

"Peace," he said then slowly skulked towards her. "Tranquility. My ambitions were crushed long ago. But there are other ways to obtain power, my father had it right all along."

"What do you mean? What's your offer?" She backed away from the approaching man still unaware of his intentions.

"I wish to return to Hoenn. My father remains in jail as a co-conspirator. That's fine."

"It is?" Leaf thought but decided not to air her concerns.

"But now we have noone to head up our company," Steven continued.

"Devon Corporation is now government owned and your father's company now supplies us," Leaf informed him.

"I know that." Steven looked at Leaf as though she were ignorant and far below himself. "And if you agree to my offer then I shall continue to supply your government."

"Out with it," Leaf snapped impatiently. "What's your offer?"

"Allow me to return to Hoenn and take my rightful place as chairman of Devon Corporation, your government will listen to you and agree to this."

"And if I refuse?"

"I shall tell Rocket everything I know. That they should destroy my father's company and use my contacts within Hoenn to find out everything."

"Why haven't you done this already? Surely you've had the chance?"

"Haven't you been listening?" he said and sighed. "I want peace. That was my intention all along, I only told Rocket what they asked so they'd get me out of prison."

"Deal," Leaf decided, if only to shut him up. "As long as you continue to supply us with equipment like PokeNavs."

"Deal," he agreed and extended a hand which Leaf then shook. "I hope we never see each other again."

"Agreed," she said and grimaced. Steven walked her out of Rock Tunnel then escaped on the back of a Pokemon he hadn't used in battle, a Skarmory, who took him to the skies and back, Leaf knew, towards Hoenn.

Her PokeNav buzzed into life. Rock Tunnel had cut off her signal leaving her with three missed calls from Wally. She dialed his number and pressed the phone to her right ear.

"Leaf?" Wally answered with a voice trapped in panic. "Something's happening at Lavender Town! How close are you?" She looked towards Rock Tunnel and knew the town lay on the other side.

"Close enough. What's happening?"

"I don't know," he spoke clearly out of breath. "The Servants... have been in contact... They've warned me."

"It's okay," Leaf said, attempting to calm her friend. "I'm on my way!"

"Oh...I'm not there yet… Going to get Blue…"

"Okay see you soon," Leaf replied before going to hang up the phone.

"Wait!" Wally almost screamed. "It's dangerous...Courtney...a secret weapon…Megastones..."

"Wally," Leaf said softly. "We'll handle it." Her calmness was a lie. Inside her heart threatened to tear out her chest and run a million miles from her. Courtney was treacherous enough by herself but armed with Megastones it could prove impossible for the Resistance. The mention of another weapon, a secret one unbeknownst to Wally or herself. That was even more horrifying.


	11. The Incident

**Chapter Ten - The Incident**

Sizzling flame roared past the Pidgeotto who dipped down to skim the water's surface, causing water to eagerly flick up and surround the bird as a protective barrier. The sun bled across the sky in a reddish-pink as it began the process of handing over control of the sky to the moon and darkness on what was a crisp, windless evening. Creaks and groans resounded from the wooden walkway which lay above the water like a bridge without barriers and swayed slightly whenever a breeze took to the air. The trainers fought on what was known as Route 12, where many years ago wooden bridges had been erected above where the sea intruded upon the land in order to connect Lavender Town to Fuschia City.

Hisses sang from the imposing ocean as a fireball was smothered by its embrace. Blue had barely regarded the battle before now and instead images of the past flashed before him, frightening remembrances of the SS. Anne. Despite his uncaring demeanour he showed towards the world, Mylos had been correct in his assumption, Blue was a liar. But not in the way Hoenn's new military leader had thought. Blue did care, even if he refused to show it, the events upon Rocket's cruise liner had shaken him to the core. Especially seeing his Raticate possessed and defeated by his own Pokemon.

His opponent's Pidgeotto swooped down towards the bridge where he was met by a flamethrower. Blue's Charmander had evolved into a Charmeleon now and the larger, more aggressive looking Pokemon sprayed flame towards the approaching target and fried the flying type.

"No," Blue's opponent gasped. He had forgotten the man's name, a fisherman he discerned from the giant rod glued to his left hand and the bags of bait attached to his crimson life vest. "My chance to show the world my prowess...Gone."

"What you-" Blue began before noticing no further Pokeballs were attached to the man's belt. "Oh it's over," he said carelessly.

"Are you serious?" The man's face flushed bright red. "You could at least show some humility." Blue had been serious, his thoughts distracted by earlier events but the fisherman clearly had taken his nonchalant comments as gloating.

"Was joking," Blue said uncaringly then turned to recall his Charmeleon into its Pokeball.

"So you mock me," the fisherman said and began to approach him with fists clenched.

"Look whatever man," Blue started before another voice broke the tension.

"Hey," a small voice spoke from behind. "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding." Wally squeaked as he approached Blue.

"Kids," the fisherman growled after stopping his advance. "Apologise," he demanded.

"Would you just go." Blue turned his back on the man and began walking back towards Lavender town. "You lost already,"

"Why you-" The fisherman began a charge towards Blue but was halted in his tracks by Wally's Eevee who snarled threateningly towards the defeated trainer. "You'll pay for this!" he declared before storming away.

"What was that about?" Wally asked once he had recalled his Eevee into its Pokeball.

"Nothing." Blue shrugged. "How'd your match go?"

"I resigned," Wally answered with a slight grin.

"What?" Blue said in shock. "Why?"

"I'm letting you and Leaf do the fighting whilst I find out Rocket's secrets."

"Fair enough," Blue spoke as if the news failed to concern him although truthfully, it did. "So what you doing chasing after me?"

"I have news," Wally said proudly. "Although you're heading towards Lavender Town anyway," he giggled at the coincidence before continuing. "I've asked Leaf to meet us there-"

"Great," Blue said and sighed.

"And finally caught up to you," Wally went on ignoring Blue's distasteful remark. "There's some sort of Rocket 'experiment' going on inside on some sort of 'secret weapon'."

"Where? Lavender?" Blue gazed across the village as they neared the quaint but creepy abode. "It seems peaceful?" He eyed the houses which lived at the front of the village with their stone walls and purple roofs then looked to the market store to the right then at the Pokemon centre to the rear. Sighting nothing.

"You ignoring that giant tower on purpose?" Wally asked as he followed Blue's cone of vision. He had guessed correctly, the seven story tower named 'Pokemon Tower' gave him the creeps. The bottom floor was fine, a reception hall also used for storage of records, it was the six floors above that he dared not look at. A building lined with the graves of fallen Pokemon where their spirits are laid to rest and trainers mourn their departed souls.

"Rocket are doing something in there?" Blue gulped, knowing his face was as white as a sheet. Wally somehow found this humorous.

"The fearless Blue Oak," he said and laughed. "Scared of a few graves."

"I'm not scared," Blue lied. "Just annoyed I have to put up with Leaf some more."

"Yeah whatever you say," Wally said and chuckled. "But yeah, Rocket are doing something in there."

"How do you know this?" Blue said whilst attempting to compose himself.

"The Servants told me/" Wally smiled, having stopped his laughter.

"How do they know?"

"They have a couple grunts on the 'inside'."

"And will they be there to assist us for once?" Blue accidentally allowed his voice to rise at the thought of a seemingly one way alliance.

"They're still searching for their 'Last Angel'." Blue made a noise which was somewhere between a grumble and a sigh in response then looked to the imposing structure which loomed over the passive village like a mountain leaning over a hill, and gulped once more.

* * *

Kobra gulped in fresh air when she was released from her Pokeball for the first time. Leaf had chosen to replace Snake with another Ekans, this one more agile but slighter in build than her predecessor. The stone tower which dominated the village caused the hairs on Leaf's neck to stand on end and a shiver to slither down her spine. The hollowed out windows which lined each floor of the graveyard served only to add to the daunting aura of Pokemon Tower.

"Scared?" Blue teased her as both he and Wally approached.

"Oh come on." Wally giggled. "You were the one scared."

"Really?" Leaf said and laughed.

"No," Blue said as blood rushed to his face and cast a slight pink tint on his skin.

"I've never seen you blush," Leaf placed her hands on her hips and felt like this was a small victory for her.

"Laugh all you want Fuguri-," Blue began a barb but froze suddenly at a high pitched shriek from inside Pokemon Tower. A shrill wail of horror seemingly born from death itself like something out of a horror movie.

"What was that?" Blue squeaked as all the blood from his face disappeared to leave him as pale as snow. Rocket grunts began to pour from the tower like blood from a fresh wound and lined the entrance to block civilians from entering. The common folk of Kanto remained intentionally unaware of the link between the criminal organisation and the region's ruling government therefore viewing Team Rocket as a pox on their seemingly unblemished nation.

"Rocket," Wally hissed.

"You were right then," Leaf said to her friend before releasing the entirety of her Pokemon. Blue and Wally swiftly followed suit.

"We need to get inside as soon as we can," Wally spoke quickly as if in a state of panic.

"Well if two of us take carve an opening through the grunts," Leaf began as she processed the plan in her mind. "Another can sneak by and get inside to find out what they're doing in there."

"So who is going in?" Wally spoke as if he feared to take the lead and enter. "There's a secret weapon in there and megastones and everything. I-"

"Don't panic," Leaf said and smiled to him. "I'll go in. Unless Blue wants to?"

"Nah," Blue said instantly whilst looking terrified. "I'm alright out here thanks."

"Come on then," Wally said to pale man. "Blue, let's attack some grunts and create an opening for Leaf."

"Oh...Err-yeah," he managed before nodding to his Pokemon in an attempt to order them to attack.

Leaf watched as Blue's fighters joined with Wally's Eevee in causing chaos within the ranks of the grunts whilst Lavender Town's residences emptied and a plethora of citizens ran to gawk at the scene. She half-ran towards the entrance and ducked beneath a Rocket grunt who tried to grab her as she approached. The grunt was tackled to the ground by Wally's Eevee whilst Blue's Pokemon cleared away the Rocket operatives which crowded the doorway and left Leaf with a clear opening to inside the tower.

She stopped and gaped at the enormousness of the room. Cabinets and bookcases ran across the walls coupled with paintings of famous trainers and their Pokemon. The shelves were lined with papers and books which recorded each and every fallen creature that lay within the tower. A desk sat to her right hand side where a receptionist had fled the battleground leaving a fresh mug of juice untouched on the wood surface. A set of stairs ascended at the far corner of the room but was chillingly shrouded in darkness. It emitted a feeling of dread inside Leaf, especially as two lilac orbs pierced the blackness at head level. Eyes, Leaf realised, the same colour as Agatha's had been during Possession.

"Yes!" a shrill voice screamed encouragement from the centre of the room which had turned into a scene of slaughter and disarray as recently defeated Pokemon lay entwined with torn pieces of paper and battered books. "Yes yes yes!" Courtney repeated before meeting Leaf with her bright eyes laced with a fiery wildness threateningly close to dipping into insanity. "Ah a visitor," she announced to apparently noone.

Before Leaf replied she took a further look around the reception hall. Three young trainers battled with Courtney's Gengar, a round bipedal Pokemon that was the colour of an amethyst stone. It snarled at its opponents with a constant sinister grin which was lit up even further by crimson eyes that were pure evil. It fought against a Pikachu, one Pidgey, two Gravelers, a Geodude and a Cubone. The latter was a small, golden creature which held a club of bone and wore a skull as a mask, the bone headgear had formerly belonged to her mother who had fallen to Courtney and now lay alongside her. Leaf then noticed that the Cubone hadn't belonged to any of the trio of trainers but was a wild Pokemon fighting for vengeance against the death of her mother.

"Ignoring me?" Courtney shouted across to Leaf. "A pity!" she pulled out her bottom lip and feigned sadness. Leaf continued surveying the scene where she spotted two further purple orbs, these two belonging to one of the Graveler. It had been possessed by the shadowed figure which lurked at the room's far side.

"Agatha!" Leaf shrieked. "I thought you were dead," she called across the figure who failed to respond. Courtney burst into a fit of laughter, the sound like a chorus of squeaking mice.

"Agatha's dead!" She laughed as if the fact was hilarious. "Dead. Gone. Deceased. Deathed. Err...Ignore that last one. Dead!"

"She's insane," Leaf thought then said aloud. "Who's that then?"

"Oh no no no," Courtney wagged her finger towards Leaf. "This girl does not tell."

"Phoebe!" Leaf exclaimed, having remember that Agatha said there were two successes which caused Courtney to burst into a series of squeaks once more.

"Keep going this is so funny." Courtney almost fell from the apparent hilarity of the situation. "Phoebe's dead too!"

"She is?" Leaf found this to be a surprise although she wasn't sure why.

"Yeah she disobeyed me," Courtney smiled as if that explanation was adequate.

"So who are you," Leaf bellowed to the figure and once more received no response.

"The experiment is a success I think I think I know!" Courtney squealed with joy. Leaf had remained oblivious to the battle before her to this point but now had spotted the Pidgey and Geodude has fallen to the Gengar who now faced the unpossessed Graveler and the Pikachu. The cubone fought the possessed Pokemon alone and was putting up a reasonable fight filled with fury and a desire to avenge her fallen mother. She smashed her bone club ineffectively against the Graveler's rock skin then leapt to avoid a boulder-like fist. Despite her clear disadvantage and the odds stacked steeply against her, the Cubone refused to back down.

Leaf ordered her Pokemon to attack to Courtney's distaste.

"Possess 'em," she shouted to the figure who shook their head and raised one finger towards her. "No way can you only possess one at once I've seen you do more!" She stamped her foot in frustration. Leaf's Pokemon entered the fray and attacked both the Gengar and Graveler as the trainer's Pikachu fell to a spectral ball of energy summoned by Courtney's ghost type. With the help of both Dino and Giggles the Cubone managed to fell the possessed Graveler but even this hadn't sedated his desire for revenge. The small Pokemon charged at the figure cloaked in darkness who attempted to control the Cubone with Possession.

"No!" Leaf roared and pulled a spare Pokeball from her backpack where she intended to capture the Cubone and save it from Possession but it was too late. The figure held out a hand then twisted their fingers in strange shapes and the link between themselves and the wild Pokemon began to form.

"Get that little twit," Courtney howled in encouragement to the figure. "Make it club its dead mother or something," she yelped with laughter to Leaf's disgust. The words only deemed to stoke the raging fires within the Cubone who began to resist the Possession to both Courtney and Leafs' astonishment.

"Resist!" Leaf cheered on the wild Pokemon. "Come on!"

"Impossible!" Courtney raged. "You're failing," she shouted at the 'secret weapon'. "You can't even possess a wild," she said half out of anger and half of bewilderment. The Cubone placed his hands to his skull and began shaking his head as if to force out the possessor. Leaf's Pokemon had now surrounded the Gengar and closed in to finish the fight.

"Surrender," Leaf said triumphantly.

"Never," Courtney barked and reached into her pocket. The Cubone collapsed through exhaustion but had managed to evade Possession, a feat previously thought impossible by Leaf although by Courtney's reaction the possessor clearly wasn't fully competent in the art of Possession just yet. The figure began to retreat up the flight of stairs when he sighted his boss pull a stone from her pocket. The rock was as black as midnight apart from a violet circle housed in its centre.

Gengar's soul, Leaf realised.

It was a Megastone, an alien rock which could bind a Pokemon's life within itself and once used on that creature it would unleash cataclysmic levels of power on the soul it harnessed. The Pokemon would violently evolve into a 'Mega', an out of control alien creature of unmatched power that would seek to kill or dominate every living thing in sight which included its own trainer. Whilst Leaf had vowed never to use such a stone, Courtney had clearly never made that promise.

A shroud of darkness enclosed on the Gengar as it began the temporary process of mega-evolution that came instead of the bright white light which engulfed a Pokemon during the natural phenomenon. Bright red eyes pierced through the smog before the Mega-Gengar evolved to twice the size it had been originally. Its smile had turned from sinister to savagely crazed and red smoke now covered the creature like a fog.

Feather led the charge. Leaf's Pidgeotto swooped down towards Courtney's beast but only succeeded in phasing through the creature who boomed a demonic bellow of laughter at the attempt. Dino lashed out vines whilst Kobra spat venom but both attacks harmlessly vanished within the red smoke. Giggles attempted a psychic strike however the move just deflected off the Mega-Gengars impervious skin. Sap launched spores towards the opponent but again the attack was just soaked up by the red smoke. Fin just turned his tail and bobbed hastily towards the exit where Leaf recalled him to his Pokeball.

"Where's your gusto now!" Courtney howled with laughter. "You're going down down down."

"So are you!" Leaf roared. "Megas don't listen to humans."

"That's why I got this." Courtney winked then pulled out a design of Pokeball from her pocket that Leaf had never seen before. Normally the capsules were painted white at the bottom and red at the top but this one featured a purple upper region with two red lights affixed to either side. "A masterball! It was made to capture Megas and devolve them inside," she said and giggled childishly.

"Use it!" Leaf bellowed as her Pokemon were taking it in turns to be smashed about the hall by the Mega-Gengar who combined spectral fists with dark spheres of energy that sapped the life force from her friends. The Cubone had regained his footing and launched into the Mega with a barrage of ineffective blows and met the same fate as the rest of her team when she was swiped away. The ground type flew through the air and bounced twice off the tiled ground before landing at Leaf's feet.

"Join me," she leant down to whisper to the Pokemon. "We shall take down Team Rocket together, I promise. But first we need to get out of here." The Cubone met her eyes and she saw the sorrow and hopelessness within. The wild Pokemon hadn't just fought for vengeance but also because there was nothing else left for her in this world. Leaf planned to give her a cause and reason to live. The Cubone nodded towards her and in response she opened up the spare Pokeball where the Pokemon she named 'Club' hopped inside. The Pokeball zapped into the air and vanished into Storage.

"Surrender," Courtney teased Leaf with the same words she had used earlier. "Recall your Pokemon."

"Never," Leaf stubbornly replied but once seeing her team thrashed around the room by the Mega she began to feel doubt.

"Then they'll all die!" Courtney declared and her Mega-Gengar approached Dino to administer the killing touch to Leaf's prone Ivysaur.

"No!" Leaf screamed. "Stop! I surrender! Just stop!"

"Recall them!" Courtney demanded to which Leaf hastily picked each Pokeball off her belt with the exception of Fin's and began to recall her Pokemon one by one. Once she had done what was demanded of her Courtney then held up her end of the bargain and flung the Masterball towards the Mega-Gengar who was in the process of searching for his next opponent. The capsule summoned the creature within and began to shake violently as the lights morphed from red to yellow. As the shaking subsided the lights then turned to green. "Grunts!" Courtney screamed and in an instant a large score of grunts descended the stairway with haste. "Get her out of her. Imprison her within our base in Celadon."

Leaf collapsed to her knees and stared at the ground despondently. She had failed once again but this time was even worse by far. She had been captured by Team Rocket.

* * *

Wally winced whilst Blue grimaced as darkness descended on Lavender Town once the moon had wrestled controlled of the skies from the evening sun. Moonlight penetrated the clouds and cast an eerie light upon the town where Pokemon still raged in battle. Ten or so Rocket grunts barricaded their path towards Pokemon Tower as a small horde poured out of the burial site, so many that they concealed what was hidden within their midst. Blue's Pokemon toiled against the Rocket owned creatures that were thrown out in opposition although they were aided by a small section of the townsfolk led by an elderly bald man with wisps of a moustache named Mr. Fuji.

"Back to base," a grunt that had exited the tower yelled towards the gathered ensemble that formed a wall of black suits before the tower. The men that formed the barrier glanced to one another anxiously then seemed to perform a well organised, staggered retreat to hold off any townsfolk or Resistance members that dared followed the black and purple mass. To the west of Lavender Town lay Route 8 and the only entrance to the pathway of rolling grasslands and low rises lay through a narrow road that cut through a gathering of high rocks like a funnel. The grunt's Pokemon made their final stand here whilst their trainers fled to Route 8 and blocked the slender pathway.

"Blue," Wally said sharply. "We need to go inside the Tower and help Leaf."

"She's so ugly all those grunts were probably running from her." Blue laughed to himself to try and force fear from his mind, a foreboding sense of dread had filled him since first sighting the tower, much like it had a few days before when they had reached the lowest levels of the SS. Anne.

"Well if she had chased them out then she'd be right behind the lot of them once they had left," Wally spoke with concern filling his face. "She's still inside and we've had no sign of her."

"So we gotta go inside?" Blue gulped. "After you?" He gestured towards his friend to lead the way.

"Never known you to let anyone else go first," Wally almost chided him then shook his head and jogged towards Pokemon Tower.

Devastation welcomed them. Fallen Pokemon lay sprawled across the floor in a mess of chaos and misery. The only life that remained within the reception hall were from three young trainers who had clearly put up a fight against Team Rocket but had ultimately failed. They now all wept alongside their defeated friends.

"Excuse me," Wally squeaked as he approached a woman who held a Pikachu within her clutches. "Have you seen our friend Leaf?"

"The girl?" the woman spoke as tears rolled freely down her cheeks. Her Pikachu had clearly fallen recently but whether that was to Rocket, a Megastone, Possession or otherwise Blue couldn't tell.

"The girl," Blue confirmed hesitantly. He had scanned the room for any signs of the supernatural but had sighted nothing but death and despair. "She's not upstairs is she," he said and gulped once more.

"Rocket-" The lady began to reply then sniffed suddenly. "Took her."

"Took her?" Wally said and began to panic. "Where? How? What?"

"Wally," Blue raised his voice in an effort to calm his friend. "Wally," he repeated when his words had no effect. "Need to be calm mate. We need to track Leaf down and save her before she disappears like Erik."

"My fault," Wally began to hyperventilate. "This is my fault."

"Wally!" Blue shouted for the first time in his life and thus it was almost painful to his throat. "Snap out of it man we need to get her!"

Wally's face began to turn purple as he gasped for air. Blue could only think of two options now and the first was to strike his friend to try and snap his attention from his panic attack, but he couldn't bring himself to hurt Wally so took the second choice. He hugged him and told his friend all would be okay. It worked.

"We've got to find her," Wally panted. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault mate," Blue released his friend and felt dirty at being so affectionate towards another. "Rocket have been ahead of us at every turn."

"They'll have vanished by now," the lady spoke again. "Whenever someone sees Rocket round here they always disappear so quickly."

"What do we do?" Wally asked as tears filled his eyes through the hopelessness he was clearly feeling.

"We'll save her. We'll find a way. Her and Erik. We'll save them both," Blue promised as anger filled him like fire. This wasn't Wally's failure, he felt. It was his failure. He vowed he would atone for his mistakes.

* * *

Silver tapped incessantly at the marble table. He grumbled at the thought of a second meeting in the space of just under a week. He hated them. He hated seeing the gathered audience beg for praise from his father like hounds wanting a pat on the head. He hated seeing his father act like some sort of deity and the suits afore him treating him as such. But most of all he hated the fact that the praise he received for his work during the SS. Anne operation had quickly vanished because only yesterday Courtney had captured another key member of the Resistance forces.

"Leaf Fuguri is being held captive within the cellars of our headquarters in Celadon City," Giovanni announced to the hounds. Silver knew he referred to the Game Corner in the sprawling market city of Celadon. A Rocket owned casino which contained two layers of basement hidden underground where Giovanni laundered finances. The operation was a huge source of income for Team Rocket.

"I did it, did it, did it," Courtney sang to Giovanni's amusement. "Like Erik and Raven now Leaf the craven will join…'em," she began and messed up her lyrics as she always did. Silver yearned to tell her to be silent but knew the back of his father's hand awaited him if he dared speak unless first spoken to during his meetings. He was there as a figurehead within the organisation although he knew his father one day wished that he would assist his first son, affectionately known as Kai, in one day leading the organisation. But Kai was gone and never coming back.

"We have three options here," Giovanni went on. "Ransom her back to the Resistance. But I would assume that firstly they lack the funds we'd require and secondly any finances they do manage to muster would be negligible to our organisation."

"Boo!" Courtney hissed playfully. "Next option!" she shouted.

"The second option is to pair her off with Erik, our other captured member of the Resistance. But again that raises two problems. Firstly, she lacks Erik's willpower and capability. Secondly, we have other plans for Hoenn's Champion."

"Oooh!" Courtney goaded him. "So we need option three!" she summarised. Silver sighed at her stupidity.

"Which is," Giovanni smiled at his wife then carried on from her. "To lay a trap for the Resistance. A false negotiation."

"Yes!" Courtney squealed. Silver sensed the other members of the audience being mildly amused by the woman whilst others were perplexed at how she was able to get away with such insolence. "Because she's his darling wife," he groaned inside his mind.

"Archer will draw them out," Giovanni spoke of Kanto's false mayor. "He will deliver a speech in Lavender Town saying how he is sorry for the uproar and will hunt down Team Rocket." A few members of the audience sniggered at this. Silver glared at them. "Some of the Resistance will surely be in attendance and our illustrious mayor will be informed of their identities. They will then be approached and offered the chance at a negotiation for the release of Leaf."

"Oh but then what?" Courtney's smile gleamed from cheek to cheek. "I come in and finish the job?!" She cupped her hands to her mouth in feigned surprise.

"Not this time, my dear," Giovanni spoke softly to her. He was always a completely different man to his wife than anyone else as if he channeled the tiny part of himself that was still human towards her, Silver guessed. "No, we shall taint their drinks using poison extracted from twenty Ekans, venom deadly enough to kill a man five times over," he said coldly. "We shall finish the Resistance once and for all!" A loud cheer of approval roared across the room at these words.

"Hounds," Silver thought. "All of them. Pathetic Dogs." He then thought of Kai, his elder half-brother. "Where are you now?" he questioned himself. "My father's greatest secret. Only him and I know the truth though. Oh, and Professor Oak, of course."


	12. Negotiation

**Chapter Eleven - Negotiation**

Sunlight struggled to trickle through the thick clouds that bathed Lavender Town in a dull grey which served to match the duo's mood perfectly. Boxes had been laid atop one another in the shape of a makeshift square dais for Archer to stand upon and make his speech towards the growing number of civilians that clambered around the platform like moths attracted to an open flame and just as the insect would be set ablaze, the townspeople were about to be burnt by Kanto's false mayor.

It was mid-morning and Blue hadn't slept a wink during the night in a nearby inn. He looked to Wally on his right and assumed from the bulging black bags which rimmed the young trainer's eyes that his friend had about as much luck as he did the previous night. Wally had suggested they remained towards the rear of the audience which now numbered at around thirty to forty citizens of Lavender who celebrated the coming of their region's leader to their humble village as the Servants would if their God came to meet them.

"He's late," Blue mumbled having still seen no sign of Archer.

"Patience," Wally advised, he was much calmer this morning.

"They really have no idea do they?" Blue observed. He referred to the townsfolk who apparently saw Archer as some sort of icon, a visionary leader or some such and not as the puppet ruler of Kanto he actually was.

"Everyone still thinks Rocket is a insignificant criminal organisation and not the government's main source of income that it actually is," Wally agreed.

"And Kanto's army. And its leadership," Blue said, making no effort to hide the bitterness which sharpened his tone.

"And everything," Wally said and nodded shamefully, clearly still reeling from Leaf's capture. "So what's the plan?" They, like the rest of Lavender Town, had been informed of Archer's impending arrival to the village in the early hours of the morning by a messenger who had announced the news. Kanto's mayor had allegedly heard the news of an attack on the abode by Team Rocket and was appearing arriving to deliver a speech that would apparently quell the fears of the common folk.

"Thought it was a bit strange that the mayor would come out for something like this," Blue said.

"But as I said earlier," Wally said whilst slightly shaking, his nerves gnawing at him. "Now Johto has fallen, the government will want to assure the people that everything is being done to stop Rocket."

"Yeah you convinced me when you said it. They want to seem stable and appear to be attempting to stop Rocket's terrorism."

"So what's the plan," Wally repeated.

"Well I'm assuming Leaf will think she can escape all by herself and take Rocket down from the inside now she's been captured," Blue jested. "But I suppose we will have to try and save her ourselves," he conceded.

"And Erik," Wally added.

"Yeah him too. Hope they're in the same place."

"But we've failed with everything we've tried."

"So we try something new." Blue clenched his jaw together and felt trepidation swell inside himself. "After the speech we'll split." He saw Wally's face flush white at his words. "Don't be afraid," he reassured his friend. "Your job is the easy one!" he said and laughed.

"I don't want to go alone," Wally squeaked.

"Whenever we've tried doing things together it's all gone wrong," Blue said with a sigh. "When Archer finishes telling us how brilliantly things are going and everyone around us cheers and hollers like Team Rocket don't exist anymore, he'll leave with an escort."

"Okay?" Wally said. "But what do we do?!"

"I'll release my Pidgeotto and get on its back," Blue declared in a hushed tone. "We'll fly up then swoop down and grab Archer."

"What?!" Wally gasped. "Kidnap the mayor?!"

"Quiet," Blue hissed. They were away from the audience at this point but needed the utmost discretion for his plan to work. "I don't know where I'll take him but I'll try get information. His escort will be Rocket, they'll have some flying types on hand to pursue us so I'll have to try and escape."

"You'll be caught!" Wally whispered hastily.

"Doesn't matter," Blue said and winked. "Because some of his escort won't have flying Pokemon on them. Ignore the ones chasing me on foot. A couple will head back to their base to report the incident. You follow them."

"What if they see me?" Wally shook almost violently from his apprehension.

"They'll be too focused on getting back, it'll be easy," Blue said confidently, although he knew that even the slightest hitch in his plan would cause the entire plot to unravel.

"And when I'm there?"

"Call me. We'll assault it together and rescue both Leaf and Erik," he said and smiled. "Easy as. Should've had me making the plans from the start." He allowed Wally to see him strong and confident as that was what his friend needed to see. But inside a feeling of helplessness ate away at him because for the first time in his life he didn't feel like he was capable.

A hush swept across the crowd that trailed back to Blue and Wally. Archer had arrived with an escort of five. Four black suited men who wore sunglasses to conceal their identity and were evidently there as bodyguards. But it was the fifth that caused both Blue and Wally to almost stagger backwards through exasperation. A well built man with raven coloured hair strode alongside Archer and turned his head to smile directly at the two Resistance members. It was Giovanni.

"Change of plan," Blue said hurriedly and strode forward.

"Where are you going?" Wally spoke then trotted behind his friend. Blue reached down to his belt and ripped off his Charmeleon's Pokeball as rage blinded him. "Blue wait!" Wally shouted to deaf ears.

"I'm ending this here and now," Blue spat as Giovanni peeled off Archer and held a hand up to the four bodyguards to signal them not to follow. "Here and now!" Blue shouted to the Team Rocket boss and caused a few members of the crowd to turn to them.

"I'd advise against that, Mr. Oak," Giovanni spoke coolly. Blue noted the man was unarmed as he looked at his belt bereft of Pokeballs.

"Bet you would," Blue retorted and moved his arm backwards and launched his Pokemon's capsule to release his Charmeleon.

"I wish to extend to you an offer," Giovanni said as Blue's Pokemon hissed at him. He appeared unmoved and refused to flinch even when the fire type shot a warning fireball which harmlessly fizzed past the Rocket boss. The Rocket bodyguards moved to assist their leader who simply held up a hand once more to signal them to wait.

"Surrender to us or I'll kill you," Blue threatened. Wally had finally caught him up and half-hid behind his friend.

"Unwise," Giovanni said emotionlessly. "We have both Leaf and Erik held captured. Would you like to hear our terms for release?"

"No," Blue snapped.

"Yes," Wally squeaked.

"Ah," Giovanni said with a smirk. "With those two held captive I now sense a lack of leadership within your ranks."

"Charmeleon attack," Blue roared to his Pokemon before Giovanni hoisted an empty megastone into the air. "Stop," Blue said in response to the threat, if he were to use the stone he would then lock the Charmeleon's soul inside and be able to unleash the power of the Mega at his will.

"Sensible," Giovanni responded. "You're very impulsive," he noted as he looked Blue up and down. For a second the trainer thought he saw something within the man's eyes as he judged Blue but the emotion had rapidly been replaced by apathy.

"Spit it out," Blue roared. He felt anger pulsed through him like his belly had been filled with fire and was now pouring flames into his veins.

"We shall release Leaf if you two agree to relinquish your trainer's licences and leave the region permanently alongside her."

"What about Erik," Wally said nervously.

"We shall kept him hostage in case you have ideas of betraying our deal." Giovanni half-smiled at them.

"No deal," Blue decided. "How about I send out all my Pokemon and take you down now. Even with one megastone I shall overwhelm you."

"If you were serious, ," Giovanni said calmly. "Then you'd have done so already," Blue winced slightly. "No," Giovanni continued. "I can foresee the need for proper negotiations. In fact, we had already planned for it. Therefore I shall offer you a chance to join us in a small house on Route 8 in one hour for a civil negotiation."

"That's a trap," Blue said instantly. He sensed something off about the man but couldn't discern exactly what it was. "You'll have us trapped inside and surrounded by your grunts."

"I can assure you upon my word that no grunts shall be in attendance, nor should they be anywhere near Route 8 for the duration of our talks."

"Your word," Blue snarled to make it clear he didn't believe the man. Giovanni was famed for having an aura about him that made even the most stubborn man submit to his authority but Blue was failing to feel the renowned effects.

"I can see why he values you," the Team Rocket leader said both suddenly and ambiguously whilst clearly pondering something. "Nevertheless," he continued. "Myself and Archer shall be present in that house in just one hour. Whether you choose to appear or not is down to you."

The man began to skulk off when Blue moved to chase him but Wally placed a hand upon his shoulder which stopped his friend.

"We go," Wally decided.

"A certain trap," Blue countered. "Would rather not."

"We should agree to his offer," Wally continued. "Can always hand in our licences and side with the Servants. They'll give us Pokemon and help us, but on the condition we get both Leaf and Erik back." Wally looked to where Archer had finished giving his speech, they had missed the entirety of it. Not that Blue minded.

"Or not," he said stubbornly. "Got a better idea," he went on whilst watching Giovanni disappear from sight and into the narrow pass that led to Route 8 where the negotiation house awaited.

"What?" Wally said eagerly and seemed almost glad that the responsibility of making the final plan hadn't fallen to him.

"We go," Blue decided. "But we won't agree to any of their 'deals'. Instead we will get Leaf's location out of them, threaten them if we have to. Or maybe falsely agree to a deal. Then save both her and Erik."

"Okay," Wally said nervously. "I hope it works."

"Me too," Blue agreed as the fury inside him had once more turned to uneasiness, just like he had felt aboard the lowest levels of the SS. Anne and when looking upon Pokemon Tower.

"And I hope Leaf's okay," Wally squeaked.

"Me too," Blue conceded without thinking. His thoughts were fixed on how he would manage to both save Leaf and Erik whilst capturing Giovanni and Archer at the same time.

* * *

She tried the door once more by pulling the handle with such force that she nearly ripped it off. The door however, didn't budge even slightly.

"It's no use," Leaf said and sighed. She looked around the room once more but apart from an air vent which was far too small for her to fit through, the area remained empty. Devoid of any object or device she could use to force open the door. "I hope my Pokemon are okay," she spoke aloud to noone. Her team had been seized and stored somewhere unknown to herself. She was alone, the only sign of life all night had been a grunt delivering her a small breakfast of porridge in the early hours of the morning.

"Hello," she called out to the two grunts which stood outside and guarded her room. She received no reply so Leaf slouched in the corner of the room and collected her thoughts. The silence deafened her and seemingly evoked random noises in the night which she knew didn't exist. "I'm losing my mind," she said and sighed when she heard some rustling emanating from the air vent, knowing her boredom and solitude created the noise.

Leaf's thoughts drifted back to her failings in Mt. Moon which still haunted her. She blamed herself for the fall of Johto and felt the weight of an entire region on her shoulder due to her erroneous decisions. Then came the SS. Anne. Which again she decided was her own fault. If she had seen through the false phone calls then her friends and Pokemon would never have fallen aboard that ill-fated ship. "My fault," she spoke as a lone tear turned into a stream and she began to cry. "All my fault," she wept and felt utterly helpless at the perilous situation she now found herself in.

Thoughts of her childhood swam back into her memories alongside the dreams she had strived to achieve. Her mother was rarely home, always working until she walked out. But her father had helped her grow into the woman she now was and she missed him tremendously. She realised that most of what she had achieved so far was only supposed to impress her mother and to prove herself to everyone around her. But she also believed she was doing some good for the world, and maybe her mother was as well.

A tapping sound began vibrating irritatingly from the air vent once the rustling had subsided. Suddenly, the cover tumbled and hit the uncomfortable tiled floor with a clang which caused the two grunts who guarded the room to rush inside.

"What you doing in here?" one of the grunts chided her.

"Think your fat figure can fit through there," the other heckled and pointed towards the small hole in the wall.

"You're defenceless and pathetic," the first grunt said with a chuckle then walked over to Leaf with unclear intentions.

"I didn't touch it I swear!" Leaf sobbed.

"Dodgy framework," the approaching grunt decided and held back a hand as if to strike her. "But I've wanted an excuse to hit your smug face ever since you came in here."

"Nice one," his partner said and giggled. "My turn next and it will be more than just a slap," he said with a wink towards Leaf.

A vine shot out from the hole in the wall and wrapped around the first grunts raised arm to gasps of horror. A Magikarp leapt into the room and began bobbing around in a state of panic which confused the grunt to the back of the room who was then chased from the room by an Ekans.

"My team!" Leaf almost squealed with joy. "You've come to save me!"

Dino rolled out Sap, Feather and Giggles' Pokeballs to released the trio into the room then hopped from the vent with the grunt's arm still within his vice-like grip.

"Let me go," the grunt yapped. "Please."

"Where are we," Leaf said with more fury than she had intended.

"Celadon City," he spoke with haste and panic. "Underneath game corner, basement level."

"How do we escape?" she growled.

"How did they escape?" he panted whilst looking to her Pokemon. "They're just tools used for battle. How are they clever enough to travel through the vents and save you."

She struck him, not hard, but with enough force to snap his attention to her question.

"Ow!" he cried out as Dino tightened his grip. "Okay, okay. Follow the corridor all the way. Go round the corner and there's a big open room. At end of room there's stairs that go all the way up."

"Can't have him running off and telling his little friends we're coming now can we," Leaf nodded to Dino, who released sleeping spores towards the man.

"Don't kill me!" he pleaded. "Please. There's loads of us grunts in here. You'll never escape and if you kill-" he began before the spores sent him into a slumber.

"His mate will have already told them we're coming," Leaf spoke to her team. "Time to break out of prison."

* * *

Grime lathered up the cracked wooden walls of the hut and a shrill wind whistled through gaps in the framework and caused a unsettling chill to fill the room where Blue and Wally sat. Sunlight pierced through the windowless hut through holes in both the roof and walls whilst the aging abode creaked around them.

Blue tapped at the splintered wooden table incessantly as his impatience grew. He constantly checked his PokeNav for the current time which now read exactly midday. Whilst he slouched slightly in his chair, his partner, Wally, sat bolt upright on a stool that had been provided during the time that they awaited their hosts who had disappeared into the kitchen to converse and fetch drinks.

"They've been gone a while," Wally said and fidgeted nervously.

"Calm mate," Blue said purposefully and tried in vain to discern what the two whispering voices were saying in the hut's only other room.

"Why are they taking so long?" Wally placed his hands on the table that would separate the negotiating parties as if he were trying to hold on during the hurricane of words which was to come.

"Giovanni is probably instructing Archer in exactly what to say," Blue decided and smiled to his friend. Footsteps approached and signalled the entrance of Kanto's Prime Minister and its Foreign Minister into the room as Archer followed Giovanni into the room.

"Take a seat," Giovanni offered Kanto's governor and opened a hand towards a small stool opposite Blue.

"Thank you," Archer replied obediently and placed two glasses of water on the table, one for himself and another for Giovanni. The Rocket boss offered both Blue and Wally their own glasses which Wally shook his head to.

"It's customary to accept a drink on behalf of your host in our region," he said sternly to Wally. "A sign of peace towards the two bargaining parties. To show no harm is intended from host to guest."

"It's alright," Blue said and smiled to his friend and took one of the glasses and began sipping the water within. A metallic taste. "This water is awful," he spluttered but continued drinking regardless. Wally placed his glass on the table to drink later.

"Apologies," Giovanni replied and took a seat on a creaky old chair. "This home is ancient. In fact, it is my old house from when I was but a boy. Quiet and discreet for our little chat." Blue noticed Archer sip his water and watched his face contort at the taste.

"Don't care," Blue shrugged at Giovanni's story. "What's your offer? We won't surrender as easy as you think."

"Will be said when your friend acknowledges our civil customs," he said and nodded to Wally's glass of water and began to sip his own.

"Go on mate," Blue said softly and watched Wally nervously move his hand towards the liquid. He had already gulped down half his drink, thirsty from the pressures of the day. Wally tilted the glass back and took a few sips in time for Blue to see Giovanni's eyes open up in horror.

"You," he said dangerously to Archer. "What have you…"

"Composure," Kanto's Prime Minister warned his associate. "Orders," he finished to Blue's confusion at the turn of events.

"Blue," Giovanni began speaking. "I'm going to tell you something."

"No!" Archer snapped to his boss.

"What is going on?" Blue said and looked to Wally who matched his puzzled expression. His partner then suddenly began to cough vehemently.

* * *

Leaf frantically followed the grunt's instructions and now found herself towards the end of the hallway where the corridor rounded a corner and transformed into a large open room full of desks and chairs each finely furnished with desktop computers which were flanked by drawers full of reports and notes. The office-like room bustled with activity as more than a dozen grunts either sat at their workstation or paced the room performing a variety of tasks for their bosses.

"Yeah that's right," she overheard one grunt speak to another at the room's entrance, the two appearing to be in command from what she could conclude whilst peering round the corner.

"The Resistance? All of them?" the other said confidently.

"Just two. Two leaders, one named Wally but not sure of the other." Leaf's ears pricked up at the mention of her friend's name. She glanced at a clock at the far side of the room which read twenty minutes until midday.

"To be poisoned?" the confident grunt queried.

"A fake negotiation on Route 8," the informant replied. "Which will lead into the poisoning of two key Resistance members." Leaf shuddered at the news but continued listening in whilst firm in the belief that her friends wouldn't fall for the ruse.

"And they're there already? The Resistance?"

"Yeah. But keep this between us. Only telling you because we'll have some reports to write afterwards." Leaf gasped loudly as the information sunk in. Blue and Wally were at some house on Route 8 and about to be poisoned. Her sudden noise caused the two Rocket members to turn and sound the alarm at her escape before her Pokemon whirled into action.

Rocket grunts rapidly leapt from seats and halted their work to release their own Pokemon who formed a barrier between Leaf and her escape route up the stairway. Scores of Zubat and its evolved form Golbat hovered in the sky alongside Koffing whilst on the ground Raticate, Rattata, Ekans and Grimer barred the path.

Feather led an unorganised but desperate charge as Leaf's team were urged by their trainer to win their dangerous assault quickly so she could save her friends Wally and Blue. The Pidgeotto soared towards gathered Zubat and Golbat then darted upwards, beckoning for the Rocket Pokemon to follow her. She zipped between light fixtures which hung loosely from the roof with agility and guile whilst several of the larger Golbat were caught amongst the hanging lights. Kobra was next in, the Ekans spraying poison towards the ensemble of Rattata and Raticate who awaited her attacks. Many dodged her bile then set upon her from all sides only to be thwarted by Giggles who used psychic attacks from above. Dino and Sap chose to hang back and launch sleeping spores towards both grunts and Rocket Pokemon in order for Leaf and her team to sidestep the slumbering villains and hastily make for the exit but her opponents were wise to their moves and avoided the pollen where possible. However, some stragglers were still caught in the trap.

Fin, seeing chaos and battle erupt before him, panicked and began to bob back towards the room in which Leaf had been imprisoned. But the din of battle had caused grunts to flood the scene from all angles. Men in black bolted from doors dotted all down the long hallway as legions of Rocket members began to swarm Leaf from behind. Fin swiftly spun around and headed back towards his trainer.

"Sap, Dino," Leaf roared to her grass types. "Guard our rear." Her Ivysaur and Gloom nodded in response and engaged in battle with the Rocket reinforcements. Dino lashed vines against Koffing and Zubat who had launched an aerial assault on Leaf whilst Sap poured spores towards the Rattata who charged towards her. "Fin," she whispered to her Magikarp. "It's okay. I still believe in you. But for once you can't run. You need to stay and help. Otherwise all is lost," she spoke as tears began to cloud her vision because hope had begun to slowly ebb away. Her Magikarp met her gaze with bulging eyes, but remained terrified and helpless.

Giggles remained locked in combat with two Golbat who swiped down at him with fangs bared and for once the Butterfree found no humour in the situation. He was struggling, clinging on for his life which was now as fragile as the Ekans' below him. Kobra swiped away an approaching Rattata whilst a Raticate plunged fangs into her tail and a grimer launched acid towards Leaf's Pokemon which then gnawed away at her skin.

Feather sighted the danger and after taking down yet another Zubat with beak and claw she shot through the air towards both Giggles and Kobra but struggled to decide which of her friends to save. Leaf's Butterfree plummeted towards the ground having been struck by a Golbat's frighteningly powerful wing when it's identical Pokemon twin swooped down to finish the job with knifelike fangs. Feather dived, then stopped as she saw Kobra struck by another ball of acid and collapse hopelessly onto the ground where she lay prone with Rattata surrounding her.

Leaf closed her eyes and felt a searing pain which tore through her. It was too much to bear. She heard the howls of pain from her fallen Pokemon and the cries of joy from Rocket grunts as both Kobra and Giggles were torn apart by their opponents. Dino and Sap retreated to her side as they were pushed back by Rocket Pokemon who closed in for the kill. Feather also flew back to protect her trainer.

"You've lost Fuguri," one of the bosses chided her. "Surrender, or the rest of your Pokemon will fall alongside your Ekans and Butterfree."

Leaf collapsed to the floor and clutched at her heart or maybe it was her soul. To lose one Pokemon she had an attachment to was agonising enough, but two at the same time threatened to strangle the life from her and expel all breathe from her lungs. She felt tears roll down her face as she stared yet another failure right in the eyes. Now she was to be captured, her Pokemon to be killed and both Wally and Blue be poisoned. She had truly lost. It had been failure after failure since Mt. Moon and her friends were falling around her like ashes. Standing up to Rocket had been for naught. They couldn't have done it without Erik after all.

"I'll say it one last time," the boss spoke. Rocket grunts and their Pokemon closed in from all sides as Dino, Sap and Feather back stepped even closer to protect their trainer. "Surrender," he finished.

Fin took one look at the situation and began to bob towards the exit to howls of laughter from the Rocket grunts. They even parted to let the Magikarp escape as Fin slowly approached the centre of the room then stopped.

"What's it doing?" one of the grunts struggled to speak such were his hysterics.

"Even her Pokemon run from her," another added whilst Leaf lifted her head to look at her Magikarp who again caught her eye.

"Run," she tried to speak but struggled to find her voice. "All I'll bring you is death and failure," she managed. "Run!" she shouted to all her team who refused her order. They'd fight until the end for her. "Please," she sobbed and begged. "I can't lose you all."

A bright white light engulfed Fin.

The light morphed from a small shape to an ever growing enormous length which was shaped like a serpentine figure. As the light faded and a Gyarados emerged it roared so powerfully the entire basement shook violently. The creature was an aquatic blue with cream-yellow underbelly with fins sprouting from its back. His large head featured a blue trident crest and humongous jaws with sat below intimidating red eyes.

"Kill it," the Rocket boss roared to his subordinates who hesitated whilst their Pokemon charged the beast.

With newfound enthusiasm Dino and Sap shot spores towards the Rocket Pokemon to the rear of Leaf, who was still mesmerized by the newly evolved creature, leaving them as easy prey for the sleeping powder. Feather eliminated any stragglers who survived the pollen but the true carnage was occurring in the open room.

Fin swept his tail across to annihilate another foe below him and snapped jaws at the Golbat and Zubat who circled overhead. He shot water from deep inside his gullet that smashed into a Koffing who dared approach and exploded the Rocket Pokemon such was the force of the attack.

"Run!" a grunt called and fled past Leaf.

"Go go go!" another panicked to his boss's fury as the Rocket members began a mass exodus from the Gyarados who terrorised their Pokemon.

"Fin," Leaf said then smiled. "You saved us," she approached her Pokemon who bowed his head to be stroked. "Now let's get Wally and Blue."

* * *

Leaf panted and heaved as she approached the small hut in which the negotiation was taking place. She had sprinted from Celadon City and feared she was too late as the clock passed midday.

"Feather," she spoke to her Pokemon. She had recalled Fin into his Pokeball as he was too large to exit the building but the other three remainders of her team had followed her. "Circle round the back and make sure there's no grunts loitering about. Sap and Dino cover the door whilst I go inside," she ordered them once they had reached the house and had met nothing but silence echoing from within. "I'm going in," she declared and burst through the door.

Inside was death.

Archer had fled as seen by his chair tipped on its side and Kanto's governor nowhere to be seen. Blue huddled in a corner of the room with tears streaming down his face. He was so despondent he hadn't even noticed Leaf enter the hut. She turned to see Giovanni sprawled lifelessly on the floor then turned as she heard gasps from the remaining person in the room.

Wally was dying.

"Wally!" she screamed and ran over to her friend.

"Leaf," he squeaked. "I-I."

"Don't speak," she panicked and searched her bag for an antidote.

"Won't...work," he managed as he struggled for air. "Blue...tried...that."

"What can I do." She shook violently as she racked her mind for ideas.

"Nothing...now," Wally spoke calmly as if he had come to peace with the fact that death approached to welcome him in its silent embrace.

"No there's gotta be something! Anything! Blue!" she screamed to the man in the corner but he remained still as if he still hadn't noticed her because he was gripped by shock.

"Take...my...Eevee...look...after…" Wally began and handed Leaf his one Pokeball. "Leaf…" he continued trying to muster what energy he could to speak his final words. "Thank you...for being... my friend."

"Wally!" Leaf sobbed. "Please Wally, we can't lose you." She cast her thoughts back to when she had first met her friend. A frail and sad boy who just wanted to be accepted and prove to be useful. He saw the best in everyone, wanted to make friends and be a part of something. After yearning for these insignificant things all his life, he had finally achieved his wishes with the Resistance. And now Rocket had poisoned him.

"Giovanni...told...Blue…" he began to convey the words which the Rocket boss had spoke before he too had succumbed to the poison.

"Don't say anything Wally. You'll tell me when you're better. We'll all go back to Hoenn and escape this cursed region. Together. Please. Me, you and Erik. Live a happy life. Please. Don't leave me. I can't do this without you."

"Sorry…" Wally tried to smile but found the effort too arduous. "Listen…" he closed his eyes and mustered the last of his willpower to say his final words. "Giovanni...is...Sakaki...Blue...Razzo," he cryptically managed as his life left him.

"No!" Leaf screamed and shook her friend. "You can't! You can't!" she shrieked. But her pleas were in vain. Wally was gone.


	13. Survivors

**Chapter Twelve - Survivors**

Leaf clambered through the hut's creaky door and collapsed in heap covered in sweat and tears. The air was cool and moonlight lit Route 8 in a dull gleam whilst silence swept over a scene of horrific sorrow. Blue followed through the doorway and walked rigidly as he failed to come to terms with the loss of Wally and whatever news Giovanni had told him.

"Wally," Leaf cried whilst her body trembled.

"Come on," Blue spoke softly. It had been just over thirty minutes since she had barged into the house to find Wally's life fading but the pain still strung as fiercely now as it first had.

"I can't...Wally," she whimpered in response and Blue offered her a hand to help her stand but she just batted the offer away.

"I know," Blue mumbled. "I know. We're all that's left now. Me, you and Gramps." His words prodded Leaf's heart like a hot iron and reminded her of how far they'd all fallen.

"You," Leaf said with an unintentional sharpness. "Why are you alive?"

"What?" Blue spluttered, taken aback by her sudden change in tone. "What do you mean?"

"Why did they just poison Wally?"

"Archer switched my drink with Giovanni's."

"Why? That makes no sense?" Leaf climbed feebly to her feet as if her accusations suddenly gave her soul the power to live on.

"Archer said something to do with orders? Don't know from who."

"Someone's above Giovanni?" Leaf considered. It would make no sense and go against everything they knew about Team Rocket.

"Archer is the governor of Kanto so technically he is?" Blue aired his thoughts and stared up to the night's sky.

"That weakling is just Rocket's puppet and Giovanni controlled the strings," Leaf glared at Blue who continued looking upwards. She deeply pondered Wally's final words; "Giovanni...is...Sakaki...Blue...Razzo," but with no success.

"I never thought anyone was above Giovanni. Maybe Courtney or Silver have taken over," Blue wondered.

"Courtney is too loyal and Silver too afraid," Leaf decided. "Who's Sakaki," she asked about the clearest part of Wally's words. "Giovanni is Sakaki", but who was 'Sakaki'. The answer to the riddle could be the clue that solves the mystery

"That's what Archer called Giovanni during the meeting," Blue responded. "Didn't think it meant much at the time though."

"What does it mean? Sakaki?" Leaf said with a calmer tone. "A code? An Alias?"

"Not one I've heard," Blue replied. "Baffles me how we know so little about Rocket."

"Indeed," Leaf sighed. She thought about the last two words; 'Blue' and 'Razzo'. The former could either be referring to her friend or the colour but the last was the biggest unknown of all. Also, were the two words linked or were they separate? She decided against asking Blue lest the words in some way pertained to him.

"So with Giovanni gone," Blue continued. "What do we do now? Who heads up Rocket?"

"And what is 'Sakaki'," Leaf carried on. "We'll find out who heads up Rocket as we progress." She tried to focus her thoughts on the future in an attempt to avoid Wally crushing her soul.

"Hello?" Blue spoke clearly, causing Leaf to turn to him. He had answered a call on his PokeNav. "The news? Why?" he said with a worried look. "Okay, cheers Gramps, see ya'."

"What's that about?" Leaf asked whilst Blue switched the screen to the news.

"Friends," Archer bellowed to the gathered press who thrust cameras in his face and microphones to his lips. He stood against a brick wall in an unknown urban location with two men in suits flanking him. "I have called an emergency press conference to bring you all grave news indeed." A hubbub rose from the audience who whispered theories to one another.

"Silence!" It was Gabby, the chief reporter, whose voice sounded loudest to quieten the press officials.

"That was quick," Blue startled Leaf by whispering sharply. He was right, she thought, it was almost as if the press were gathered beforehand to await their governor when he left the hut.

"He must still be close by." Leaf began to move forward. "Celadon!" she exclaimed.

"Or Saffron City," Blue corrected her and referred to the region's capital city which lay directly at its heart and not far from where they stood. "Or Lavender maybe. Hard to tell from the brickwork."

"We should split!" Leaf said in a raised voice.

"That's three locations and there's only two of us," Blue said. "And he could've always have flown off aback a Pokemon."

"Oh," Leaf replied despondently and turned her attention back to the news announcement once Archer had finished thanking the press for appearing on such short notice and addressed the watching population by asking them not to panic or be rash about the forthcoming news.

"The 'Resistance'," he hissed and made no effort to hide his distaste for the group. "The terrorists which rock our region and threaten to crush our stability. The criminals whose goal is to tear down your reliable government and who we believe are a splinter group of Team Rocket," he lied. "Have slaughtered our esteemed Foreign Minister Giovanni. They've poisoned him in his own home and next they will not just come for me, but you and your families as they pave the way for Rocket to terrorise our beloved Kanto." Jeers like venom spat from the audience who now bayed for blood.

"Liar," Leaf growled.

"Yep," Blue nodded. "Nothing we can do about it. He's not revealed our names yet."

"To protect the integrity of the Champion tournament," Leaf surmised. "We're both through to the last sixteen."

"Who are they?!" a highly disgruntled member of the audience roared.

"Name the villains!" another added her voice.

"Please," Archer settled the audience by speaking softly and lowering the palms of his hands to hush the crowd. "This is not the time for the common folk of our region to try and be heroes. These are highly dangerous operatives and have no qualms in killing innocents if need be. I beseech you all to leave the action to our own agents like the wife of our fallen hero, Courtney, who will personally lead the counterterrorism task force." Cheers of approval sounded at the mention of the Defence Minister's name.

"They think we're special," Blue said and smiled. "Cute."

"Now to more cheery news," Archer continued. "The Champion of Kanto tournament has reached its national stage where anyone can face anyone!" Murmurs of discussion sounded at the next pressing topic as people debated the tournament and who they thought would win it.

"Which means we'll face each other," Leaf speculated to Blue. "Can't run away from each other now." Archer continued his speech by reeling off a list of names. From former Champion Lance, who the audience erupted with glee for, to Giovanni's son Silver who remained a mystery to the crowd as shown by the silence which greeted his name. Leaf winced as Archer reached the final four names.

"Blue Oak," Archer bellowed.

"Here we go," Leaf sighed.

"Will face Leaf Fuguri," Blue imitated to Leaf's discontent.

"Will face," Archer said with a pause for the slight cheers of Blue's name. He had a small following thanks to the fame of his grandfather. "Sabrina Bellelba." Huge roars of support sounded for the former Saffron City Gym Leader who was to face Blue in the next round.

"Wow," Leaf gasped. "Why?"

"I don't know," Blue said with a slight smile.

"And in the final round!" Archer roared. Leaf gulped and felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, like a stone dropping through her chest to her belly.

"Maybe they've expelled you," Blue suggested unhelpfully.

"Leaf Fuguri, the unknown warrior from Hoenn," he spoke to disprove Blue's theory.

"Will battle with the most popular candidate for Pokemon Champion in our region. A woman who you all know and love," anticipation swept over the crowd in a growing buzz. "Courtney Razzo!"

"That's why," Blue sighed, having realised why he and Leaf weren't drawn together. Courtney was to eliminate her from the tournament personally.

"Razzo," Leaf whispered, remembering Wally's final words.

"What did you say?" Blue strained to hear her.

"Courtney is in charge of Rocket now," Leaf figured. "Wally had it all worked out. Courtney killed Giovanni!"

"Why did he think this?" Blue asked with a quizzical look upon his face.

"I don't know what gave him the idea," Leaf continued. "But it's her name, Razzo, that he mentioned." She expected Blue to reply but got nothing from him. He had turned off Kanto National News and now stared into the sky as if he knew something she didn't. "Well?" she snapped.

"Let's go," Blue said solemnly and strolled towards Saffron City to where Sabrina awaited. Leaf let him leave and allowed herself to collect her own thoughts before searching for Courtney.

* * *

Flecks of rain fell on Leaf as she treaded cautiously above the wind-whipped ocean which raged savagely as if it desired to swallow her whole. The wooden bridge swayed in the breeze and creaked eerily before the walkways conjoined together at several wooden platforms that were lifted from the ocean on strong supports. Leaf counted three such open platforms along the manmade Route 12 that connected Lavender Town from the south to Route 13 that lay at Fuschia City's eastern entrance. She sighted the second Route from the first wooden platform with its rolling grasslands and slight rises then flicked her attention back to fix on the woman who stood upon a second platform across the next bridge, Courtney.

"Welcome, welcome," the widow gleefully announced, her demeanour displaying the impression she hadn't cared for her late husband at all. "Come join me on my island paradise!" she said, referring to the wooden platform. The specks of rain had now turned into a light shower and formed a thin mist above the sea's surface below the walkways.

"Just you?" Leaf nervously trekked across bridge and looked around to search for any sign of Rocket backup for Courtney, strangely sighting none.

"Oh yes only little old me!" Courtney cocked her head to the side to examine Leaf before a curious look plastered across her face. "You've caused us a lot of hassle." She giggled as her face lit up once more. "But today is the day that Courtney solves this problem herself!"

"You don't look at all unhappy at your husband's death," Leaf aired her thoughts once she had reached Courtney's platform. All three of the wooden islands were large enough for both trainers to stand at either end whilst their two Pokemon fought although Leaf doubted the platforms could withstand heavier creatures or exceedingly ferocious fighting. Courtney had picked this battlefield for a reason.

"My husband's death?" Courtney looked confused for a moment but the act was just a ploy. "Oh!" she burst into hysterical laughter.

"It's funny?" Leaf spoke with curiosity.

"Funny funny funny!" Courtney replied and clenched her sides which ached with laughter.

"You planned it all didn't you?" Leaf began her accusation. "You ordered Archer to switch Giovanni and Blue's drinks so you could take your husband's place at the top of Team Rocket. Or maybe your son, Silver, now runs it?" The allegations only seemed to fuel Courtney's mirth. Her amusement was in contrast to the rain-battered scene as the platform became slippery and Leaf had to struggle to maintain her confident stance.

"You're so clueless," Courtney chimed in an attempted melody. "You'll soon be...err...Blueless!" she finished. "Wait," she stopped her laughter suddenly and placed her index finger on her chin. "Who's Blue?"

"Blue Oak?" Leaf snapped and grew irritated at Courtney's apparently feigned stupidity.

"Blue...Oak…?" Courtney thought for a moment then burst into a chorus of giggles once more. "Oh, that guy," she said and laughed. "Oh Leaf. Poor poor Leaf," she said with amusement. "We should really do this more often. I haven't laughed so much. Since. Oh," she placed her finger back on her chin and thought again. "Oh since I found out that Wally was dead!" She burst into hysterics and all Leaf saw was a crimson red that clouded her vision. She charged at Team Rocket's supposed new leader but slipped and fell on the platform to more laughter from Courtney.

"Wally," Leaf thought to herself as her anger turned to agony of the soul. "I can't fail you," she spoke softly. "We will defeat Rocket. Your spirit lives on with me and your Eevee," she tried to speak confidently but her voice failed her. "But," she spoke to herself whilst climbing to her feet. "I miss you," she finished and swept a lone tear from her cheek then placed her hand on Wally's Pokemon's capsule. She had named him Heiko, after his ex-trainer.

"Ooh," Courtney chirped once she had seen Leaf grasp a Pokeball. "A battle on the bridge. A battle between Rocket and the Resistance. This is it, little Leaf, this is where it's all decided."

"Shut up and fight me," Leaf growled once her temper had reached its end.

"Oh I will. I will. I will." Courtney grabbed a Pokeball and released an Electrode onto the platform. The spherical Pokemon was a flash of red and white as it rolled around the island in an apparent taunt to it's opponent and Leaf knew that the electric type held the advantage in the wet conditions. She released Heiko onto the battlefield and faltered slightly once she spotted the misery in the Eevee's eyes. Pokemon felt the loss of their trainer, especially if they had a strong bond, more painfully than any other.

"Oh and Leafy girl," Courtney spoke whilst Leaf returned to her position at the edge of the battlefield. "If you think you have a chance today," she smiled and pulled a pouch from her pocket. "Consider these." The Rocket boss unfurled the bag then lowered it to reveal the contents to Leaf. Four stones, rocks from another planet. But these were different to Megastones despite having the same origin. These were named 'evolutionary stones' and were clear in colour with a certain hued symbol in the centre which denoted the type of Pokemon it'd forcibly evolve once linked to. Although, whereas a Megastone forced a Pokemon to transform into a creature of pure evil, an evolutionary stone would morph the Pokemon in a more natural way and the effects would be permanent rather than temporary.

"Time to fight," Leaf growled and received a wry smile in response.

Heiko arched his back whilst rain battered him and soaked his caramel fur, rolling down his small face and getting caught in his bushy, cream coloured mane which enclosed around the neck of an Eevee. He glanced at Leaf with bulging brown eyes which were enshrouded with anguish before stumbling towards the Electrode on four short legs.  
Courtney bounced on the spot and seemed to move with some sort of rhythm like a hyperactive child unable to keep still. She looked from the battle to Leaf constantly as if she were both studying her opponent and goading her at the same time. The Electrode remained motionless whilst its foe nervously approached then burst into life once the Eevee was within a few inches and prepared to pounce.

Heiko watched as Courtney's Pokemon became a flash of crimson and white, rolling rapidly around him in a full circle whilst sparking electricity which caught the slick surface of the wooden floor. Flares of volts threatened to flick up at Heiko but caused no more than a small, distracting shock.

"Kill it," Courtney commanded savagely. "Kill it, kill it, kill it!"

Thus far her Electrode had played on its opponent's weakness. It had exploited Heiko's timidity by rolling around in a blur and sending feeble shockwaves towards the Eevee to cause fear and apprehension to surge through Leaf's Pokemon, but now its trainer was ordering a different method of attack. A reckless but relentless assault, and the Electrode obliged.

Heiko almost squealed then fled as Courtney's Pokemon charged after him but his short legs were incapable of escaping the much faster Electrode. The electric-type rammed him down to the ground then charged up an electrical strike which would current through the standing water which had puddled on the platform and electrocute the prone Eevee.

"Heiko come back!" Leaf called out to Wally's old Pokemon with Sap's Pokeball in her hand to replace him but her Eevee chose to panic instead. Heiko returned to his feet in the nick of time as the electrical attack sparked fiercely in the puddle where he had been. The Eevee began to dart hastily across the battlefield in blind fright, somehow managing to avoid a series of electrical waves.

"Stop messing and kill it!" Courtney demanded of her Pokemon. She had stopped moving now and her face had scrunched up into a scowl as she impatiently awaited the death of Leaf's Pokemon.

"Heiko," Leaf tried again. "Get back here quick. Before I lose both you and Wally." The name of her recently departed friend caused a surge of agony to clutch at her heart but the word was like an electric shock to her Eevee. Heiko's ears pricked up at the name of his former trainer and caused him to firstly turn his head towards Leaf, then gallop towards her and back into safety whilst Sap took to the battlefield. "It's okay," Leaf whispered to Heiko who had slumped to the ground in sorrow. "It's okay," she repeated whilst feeling her body tremble through her own sadness.

Sap attempted to released spores but her pollen was simply washed away by the pouring rain. Courtney burst into hysterics at seeing the Gloom's singular tactic fail followed by her Electrode charging up yet another electrical attack and releasing the energy towards the statuesque Sap. Thousands of volts smashed into the Gloom who had entrenched himself by spreading his feet apart. The electricity surged through his body but the flower atop and the roots that served as his veins just absorbed most of the damage to fizzle out the attack.

Courtney as well as her Pokemon stood aghast with gaping mouths and remained clueless as to their next move. Sap made the decision by charging towards the Electrode who quickly rolled out of her way and fell straight into the Gloom's trap. She whipped out vines and caught the evasive Electrode by surprise, but instead of lashing him with the attack she instead wrapped the whips around its spherical frame.

"Go Sap!" Leaf roared encouragement to her Pokemon who swung her opponent from the platform to a splash followed by a fizzing sound. Water sparked for a moment whilst Courtney's Pokemon was electrocuted within the ocean's depths then all that followed was a victorious silence.

"Ahh well," Courtney chirped and began dancing to an invented beat. "I'm not impressed," she declared of Leaf. "A scaredy wimp and an ugly plant," she remarked of her opponent's Pokemon. "I still got my stones," she gloated and released a Fearow from its Pokeball. "And strong strong strong Pokemon!" Her latest fighter soared above the battlefield with an impressive wingspan and even larger beak which looked as if it could drill through a brick wall. The dirty-brown coloured Pokemon shrieked in the skies, a shrill sound which caused the hairs on the back of Leaf's neck to stand on end.

"Come back Sap," she ordered her Gloom. Even without the weather, her grass type would be at a severe disadvantage to an aerial foe as fearsome as this Fearow. "Time to fight fire with fire," she shouted towards Courtney before realising she was speaking about two flying types who had nothing to do with fire.

Feather shot up towards her foe. Despite lacking the sheer size of the Fearow, she was more agile in the skies but looking at the comparative wingspans, Leaf doubted even her Pidgetto's speed against Courtney's Pokemon.

"Kill it you big beast. Why haven't you done it already!" Courtney chided her Pokemon for no apparent reason. "Use that fancy beak of yours and whack it out the sky!" She seemed almost unpreturbed by the rain lashing down upon her and soaking both her clothes and hair. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying the blustery conditions.

Feather swerved a peck which was more like a drill attempting to pierce its target then retaliated with a bash of her own beak. The two became locked in a duel of swiping and dodging and rose ever higher into the sky until they were likely rapidly moving black dots in Leaf's vision. One fell rapidly as if it had been plucked from the air and began to plummet towards the ocean. Leaf's heart skipped a beat then leapt for joy once she had seen the Fearow tumble with Feather keeping within close proximity but unable to keep up with her opponent's fall.

"Keep cheering Fuguri," Courtney snapped. "Keep cheering," she said then smiled menacingly and Leaf's heart sank. It had all been a ruse.

Feather screeched as she attempted to flap her wings to generate enough speed to escape but the Fearow was too quick. Courtney's Pokemon had feigned the fall and rapidly corrected herself to rise back up and drill her beak through the Pidgeotto then strike her with a powerful wing to send Feather crashing into the ocean where she met her end in the raging sea. Pain gripped Leaf tightly and almost refused to relinquish its grasp on her until she sighted the glee on Courtney's face which led agony to transform into anger.

"They're falling, falling, falling," Courtney sang. "Like the rain. Leaf's Pokemon are falling, falling falling."

"We've lost one each," Leaf growled and reached for Fin's Pokeball, ready to unleash the Gyarados's power.

Fin roared, a monstrously frightening sound with seemed to reverberate with the oceans waves and strike fear into Courtney's Fearow. The Gyarados sank into the ocean and disappeared from sight leaving his opponent nervously searching the raging water for sight of the titanic Pokemon.

"Ooh a big scary monster," Courtney said and giggled. "I want one! How'd you get it!"

"Out a bin," Leaf recalled picking the Magikarp's Pokeball from the trash then giving it patience, time and support in order for her Pokemon to eventually evolve into this fearsome creature. She doubted Courtney would allow a Magikarp the same affection. The widow looked at Leaf curiously as she tried to decipher the meaning behind her words then shrugged her shoulders and returned her gaze to the ocean once she had failed to do so.

"Fearow get down there!" she screeched to her anxious Pokemon. "It won't come out with you cowering up there like a coward!" Her imposing bird cautiously lowered itself until the angry waves almost reached out of the sea to grab her and that was when the Gyarados chose to strike.

Fin shot out of the ocean like a monster attacking its prey and crunched his enormous jaws into the Fearow's long neck before dragging the bird into an oceanic tomb.

"I definitely need to get me one of those!" Courtney strangely laughed at her Pokemon falling in battle then stopped suddenly and stamped a foot. "Not fair!" she groaned. "Really not fair." She stopped for a moment to glare at Leaf before pulling out both a Pokeball and a stone encrusted with a red flamed centre. "I know!" she exclaimed. "Prepare for the end Leafy girl."

"You're losing," Leaf taunted her. She was trying with all her willpower to keep focused on the battle and leave the other issues that plagued her mind to one side for now despite feeling like she was mentally breaking.

Fin eagerly awaited his next foe with confidence and belief surging through him. Courtney released a Vulpix to stand atop the platform with herself and Leaf. The fire type whimpered as rain struck her, she was a small fox-like Pokemon with brown skin and six puffy orange tails. Courtney walked up to her Pokemon and pressed the stone to the Vulpix which hissed and smoked upon the touch.

A bright white shroud encased the Vulpix in reaction to the stone to begin the process of a forced natural evolution. The light morphed to twice the size it had been previously then dissipated for a Ninetales to emerge. The newly evolved Pokemon featured white-gold fur contrasted by menacing scarlet eyes. Her most dazzling feature, however, was the long and bushy nine tiles protruding from her hind with were tipped with orange.

"A fire type?" Leaf snorted. "In the rain to face a water type?" she had to hold back a laugh at the supposed ignorance shown by Courtney.

"Think you're smart and clever don't you?" Courtney snapped back. "Well you've never met a Ninetales." Leaf glanced back to the aforementioned Pokemon who glided gracefully across the slick surface of the platform to perch herself directly in front of Leaf. "They're clever, very smart," Courtney finished. "You my girl, are not."

Leaf grimaced as she realised the Ninetales's plan. The fox-like Pokemon slank towards her then peppered the Gyarados with barrages of flame which sizzled in the rain. Fin avoided the attacks easily and watched them fizzle harmlessly into the ocean but that was all he could do. If he shot a jet of water towards Courtney's Pokemon then the Ninetails would either dodge the attack which would then strike Leaf directly behind her, or be struck by it and clatter into Leaf. Either way, Fin could not risk his trainer's safety with a ranged assault and Leaf had no room to manoeuvre on the wet platform unless she retreated to the bridge where the Ninetails would surely follow.

"See," Courtney exclaimed whilst jumping gleefully. "See I told you! Clever clever clever."

Fin had been forced to move close to the platform now where dodging the balls of fire proved difficult as many painfully hissed when they collided with his skin. Unless Leaf thought of a plan, the Gyarados would be forced to come right up to the platform whilst withstanding constant attacks, then carefully grab the Ninetales from it using his jaws. But even with that strategy he'd leave himself too exposed. "Unless," Leaf thought aloud. She nodded to Fin who shared her thoughts.

"You talking to your Pokemon?" Courtney giggled. "Some sort of internal communication?" she burst into hysterics. "And they say I'm crazy!"

Fin dived into the ocean, waited a few seconds then burst from within to the Ninetales initial dismay. He released a powerful stream of water from within his gullet that collided with the temporary dazzled fire-type who rocketed back towards where Leaf stood. Or had stood. Leaf had dived out of the way and watched the Ninetales fly passed her whilst she landed on the soaked wood with a thud and into the ocean below.

"What why how?!" Courtney gibbered. "How what?" she finished blabbing with her mouth agape and eyes widened. "Even I saw that one coming!" She stamped her foot again.

"No you didn't," Leaf said and smiled. "My Gyarados is annihilating you."

"Not fair!" she screeched. "Not fair, not fair, not fair!" she said with increasing irritation. "I want one of those!"

"You couldn't raise it," Leaf nodded at Fin to remain as her fighter to await their next opponent.

"What you mean?" Courtney growled. "You think you're better than me Fuguri?" she continued angrily. "Well let me tell you something. You're nothing Leaf. Just a pawn in a game. A game you're losing!"

"What do you mean?" Leaf said patiently, feeling as if Courtney was about to spill crucial information.

"Oh just you wait and see Leafy girl," Courtney replied with a mocking smile. "You know nothing. You think you know everything. But you have everything wrong."

"Tell me," Leaf said, the anticipation was causing her body to tremble. "What do I have wrong?"

"As if I would spoil the surprise," Courtney howled with laughter. "But I will tell you this. Your friends are your biggest enemies. Not me. Not us."

"Who?" Leaf said, puzzled.

"All of them! All you have left." Courtney laughed.

Leaf felt anger surge through her at the word 'left'. The remembrance of Wally poured both sorrow and rage into the pit of her stomach. "Let's get this over with," she spoke with unconcealed hatred towards her opponent. "Next Pokemon."

"Gladly." Courtney smiled then winked towards Leaf. She whipped out another stone, this time with a yellow lightning symbol in the centre and pressed it against a Pikachu she had then released. The light came again and transformed her Pokemon into a Raichu, a creature who had orange skin with black ears and tail which featured a lightning bolt shape on the end. It had bright yellow spots on each cheek which was where it generated, stored and released electricity from.

Fin roared at his new opponent and ducked inside the ocean to conceal himself from Courtney's Pokemon. The Raichu swaggered arrogantly towards the platform's edge and placed his hands against the wooden barrier and waited whilst electricity sparked and trickled from his cheeks.

"Here we go," Courtney eagerly yapped.

Leaf's Gyarados shot out the ocean once more with his jaws wide open and ready to either swallow the Raichu whole or crunch down upon it with his enormous teeth. Courtney's Pokemon released the stored electricity all at once and aimed directly into Fin's gaping mouth.

"No," Leaf whispered. The entire sky seemed to light up at the power of the shockwave and the falling rain was replaced by sparks which trickled from above. The sound was like a thunderstorm booming around the entire world which stopped as suddenly as it started to be replaced by silence as Fin's lifeless body sank back into the ocean.

"The beast is down!" Courtney announced and howled with glee. "They're falling, falling, falling," Courtney sang once more. "Like the rain. Leaf's Pokemon are falling, falling falling."

"No," Leaf repeated. She had bet it all on Fin who had seemed invincible since his evolution but now she had lost him as well as Feather. "Dino," she whispered as she plucked her Ivysaur's Pokeball from her belt. "You're the one I can always go to in my times of need. Well, I need you now." She planted a soft kiss on her Pokemon's capsule before opening it to allow Dino onto the platform.

Her Ivysaur looked nervous and Leaf knew that the Pokemon, whose bond was so strong with her it was almost visible between them, had channeled her pain from all the recent failures and losses they had both endured together.

"Kill the pest!" Courtney ordered her Raichu who obliged dutifully. Her electric type was faster than Dino as it approached him. It was more agile than him as it danced around him. It was stronger than him as it bullied him with force before batting aside his vines. "Easy!" Courtney screamed with every hit that Dino received.

"What would Wally do," Leaf asked herself as her Ivysaur sustained more pain. Dino had collapsed to his hind legs now as both his strength and will failed him. Raichu charged up a killing blow whilst continuing to lash out with fists and a whip-like tail. "No," Leaf corrected herself. "What would Erik do," she thought. "I've lost them both. I've lost so many friends. And now I'll lose Dino." She would've cried but all she felt now was apathy, it had all become to much and the fall of her beloved Ivysaur would be what pushed her over the edge. Dino turned his head and locked eyes with his trainer and Leaf presumed he saw the despondency and defeat in her eyes. Because he refused to allow it.

A bright white light engulfed Dino.

Leaf closed her eyes then shielded them with her hands. When she opened them Dino was enormous. The blue-green beast stood on four legs with a wide body which squeezed Leaf, Courtney and Raichu to the edges of the platform. The bulb on his back had fully sprouted to reveal a red flower supported by a thick trunk and giant leaves whilst Dino's mouth appeared to be able to fit two or three Raichu inside. The Venasaur roared a sound which seemed to shake the foundations of the planet.

"Woah," Courtney gasped in awe of the creature which Leaf guessed surely weighed at least half a ton by both its sheer size and the fact the platform now creaked and groaned as it struggled to contain the weight atop it. "I'm just gonna go stand over there," Courtney said so softly her voice was almost a whisper before backing off the platform and onto the bridge, then picking up the pace to a brisk walk towards the section of land that flanked Fuschia City. Leaf creeped after her with her vision locked on the tentative and terrified Raichu.

Courtney's Pokemon charged up an electrical attack and used its voltage to shock Dino but even with the pouring rain conducting the current the Venasaur just shrugged off the assault. Dino slammed its wide skull into the Raichu to fling his opponent over the edge and into the sea.

"Go Dino!" Leaf barked in encouragement. She had now overtaken Courtney and had began racing towards the grassland because the platform splintered and cracked painfully.

"Can the beast swim? Or will the big fat monster sink?" Courtney chuckled and released a Nidorino onto the bridge before pressing a stone against it and sprinting towards land where she joined Leaf on the grass verge that overhung the sea.

Light appeared then disappeared just as quickly and revealed a Nidoking as Dino's challenger. The intimidating Pokemon stood on two hind legs and featured a large, thick tail. A ridge of spines like spikes protruded from its lilac skin at the back with plates like armour painted white across its chest and stomach. The most alarming feature of the beast however, was not the frighteningly muscular arms or powerful jaws, but the sizable venomous horn above its furious-looking eyes.

A cracking sound bellowed across the ocean as if the sea itself was breaking. Then, as Courtney had intended, the platform collapsed and bought the two connected bridges plummeting with it alongside both the Nidoking and Dino.

Timber and rope were greedily swallowed whole by the ocean as Route 12 was partially destroyed and the bridgeway linking Lavender Town to Fuschia City was torn asunder. Dino flailed in the water alarmingly, his inability to swim combined with his burgeoning weight left him straining to remain afloat.

"Over here," Leaf shouted to her Pokemon, her voice snapping the Venasaur to attention.

"Kill it!" Courtney snarled a few paces away from where Leaf stood. Her Nidoking was faring much better in the water and looked almost like he was able to surf the waves towards his struggling opponent.

Dino lashed out vines towards the grass verge where Leaf stood and tied the whips around large rocks which jutted from the edge and began to haul himself towards the shore. Leaf backed away and took a look behind her at the freshly cut fields which turned to gentle rises and soft slopes until it reached Fuschia City which appeared as a small dot in the distance.

"No," Courtney screeched at her Pokemon as it climbed the rocks with ease and lifted itself onto land. "You're meant to kill the fat thing whilst it's in the water," she batted at her Pokemon weakly. "It's struggling, go get-ah!" She sighed when she sighted Dino hoisting himself onto the grass verge. "You big stupid purple idiot!" she chided her Pokemon who looked at her innocently.

"Dino." Leaf smiled to her Venusaur. "Let's win this."

Leaf's Venusaur charged and attempted to use his skull as a battering ram to force the Nidoking over the edge and back into the raging sea. Courtney's Pokemon grappled onto Dino but skidded along the floor because despite all his strength and mass the poison-type wasn't powerful enough to fully stop a rampaging Venusaur. The Nidoking was forced back to the edge where he teetered treacherously over the side and whined nervously as he struggled to hang on.

"Uh oh," Courtney uttered as she watched Dino lash at her Pokemon with vines before releasing sleeping spores towards his opponent. The Nidoking was too focused on the Venasaur and allowed the pollen to first enter his system and then shut it down, sending the poison-type into a slumber. The unconscious Pokemon tumbled off into the ocean where it swallowed the Nidoking whole.

"You're down to your final Pokemon," Leaf laughed at Courtney who twinged irritably at the barb.

"Even if you beat me," Courtney snapped. "Which you won't!" she screamed then returned to a more calm posture. "All your friends will still betray you! You're nothing and have nothing and will be nothing! Nothing!"

Leaf ignored her and recalled the exhausted Dino into his Pokeball and released her new capture, named Belly, onto the fields behind her. The Snorlax groaned tiredly as if he had just awoken from a deep slumber. His huge cream-coloured stomach wobbled as he stood at an enormous height, he was even larger and heavier than a Venasaur. Much heavier, Leaf noted as he scratched his navy-blue skin with sharp claws.

"Another fatty!" Courtney screeched. "Your team is all fatty." She summoned her last Pokemon, a Poliwhirl, and affixed a stone with an ocean-blue centre in the shape of a water drop on the creature.

When the brightness faded a Poliwrath lurked by the verge's edge. A water and fighting dual type, the blue-skinned Pokemon featured white hands which looked like boxing gloves and a white belly that had a black spiral swirling around it constantly which was slowly hypnotic to look at. Both legs and arms were corded with powerful muscles which now pounded the Snorlax who cried out at the pain which his gigantic stomach only partially absorbed.

"This is it!" Courtney screamed in glee as her Poliwrath circled the motionless Snorlax and pounded the hefty creature constantly. Then Belly collapsed, purposefully. He fell atop his opponent and smothered Courtney's Pokemon entirely. The Poliwrath fought in vain to escape but slowly suffocated within.

"This is it," Leaf said and smiled towards Courtney. "You lose and I win." Leaf looked to the Rocket leader who slowly back away and shouted more threats.

"You're done, Leafy girl," she promised. "Done done done. You're nothing. You're done," she repeated over and over before slowly breaking into a sprint and fleeing into the distance.

"What next I wonder?" Leaf whispered to Belly who had now fallen asleep atop the defeated Poliwrath. "The quarter finals," she spoke to noone. She had reached the last eight of the tournament, but Wally's death still lay unavenged. Erik was still held captured and many questions were no closer to being answered. But it was Courtney's latest revelation that began to slowly haunt Leaf. "You have everything wrong. Your friends are your biggest enemies. All your friends will betray you." The rambling of a mad woman or hidden truths that lay within her blustering words. Leaf was undecided.


	14. The Heiko Alliance

**Chapter Thirteen - The Heiko Alliance**

She met them for the first time in Fuchsia City.

Whilst the rain had stopped its after effects still languished upon the city as grey skies cast dullness upon the locale's soaked streets which lay in disrepair. Puddles filled potholes on the paths and streams of water flowed down the sloped land towards the beach to the south. A retail park lay on Fuschia's southwest and served as a central hub for the city with shops, a Pokemon centre, houses and the old gym which now acted as a mayor's hall.

Leaf groaned as she almost slipped on the brickwork paths slick with water. She trekked through the northern portion of Fuschia City which had been transformed into a Pokemon zoo by the location's new mayor, Koga, in an effort to bring tourism, and therefore a source of finance into his rundown city.

It was whilst she gawked at a caged Raticate who chewed eagerly on a fresh piece of tofu that the three men approached her. One bore a gold cloak and led two others who wore black robes, one trimmed with green and the other a dark brown.

"Leaf," the man in gold spoke with his face cloaked in darkness by a hood. She stumbled backwards, startled by their sudden approach and instinctively reached for Dino's Pokeball. The man simply held up a hand to her. "We come as friends."

"Who are you?" she said and looked to the two men behind the one who had spoken, their faces were also hidden by hoods.

"Friends," he repeated. "Told to find the one known as Leaf. For she is the Resistance's key member." Leaf bristled at the fact her identity as a Resistance member was known to the strangers but retained her calmness.

"Told by who?" she spoke coolly.

"Someone we believe knows you quite well," he said cryptically. "We searched for our friend, Wally, but have been unable to find him. So were directed to you instead."

"Wally," she said then sighed and felt her heart tremble. "He's gone."

"Where?"

"Gone," Leaf said sharply. "Who are you?" she asked the two men who hadn't spoken.

"Servants," they replied in unison, their voice like a hiss.

"And I am Ethan," the lead man added.

"Wally made an alliance with you." Leaf quickly realised who they were and why they had come, but not why they had resurfaced.

"And if he has fallen," Ethan said without a flicker of emotion. "Then the buck must pass to you. Will you maintain our alliance?"

"What do you have to offer us?" Leaf spoke guardedly.

"We are incredibly close to discerning the location of Team Rocket's chief base of operations and would like to extend an invitation of a joint assault upon their main headquarters upon its discovery."

"How close?" Leaf pressed.

"We have a man on the inside who just yesterday received a promotion to their main facility. We shall join up with him later today after his shift has ended and he shall reveal the location." Leaf froze at the news. All the Resistance had been working for would culminate in a joint assault on Rocket's headquarters tonight in a fierce fight that would decide the fate of Kanto. Erik would surely be inside along with all the answers she seeked. Courtney and Silver must be hiding within too, the two apparent heads of Team Rocket now that Giovanni was gone.

"I-" Leaf struggled. "I accept your proposal," she managed to say.

"Great," Ethan buzzed. "With our combined numbers and strength we shall wreak devastation upon Team Rocket and free Him."

"Who?" Leaf asked and tried to deflect the fact that Ethan clearly overestimated how many fighters the Resistance would bring to the battle, which would be just her and Blue and that was if he even bothered to turn up.

"Our Lord," Ethan bellowed. "Who will purge this land and cleanse it of evil."

"Right," Leaf replied. "I take it you've found your angels then?" she remembered that the Servants had vanished to find their three angels.

"But two," Ethan said solemnly. "We have obtained two feathers thus far. But the hunt goes on for the third!" he perked up suddenly.

"Ah," Leaf said with disinterest. "How will I find you?"

"You won't," Ethan spoke. "We shall find you." He suddenly began rummaging in his pocket then pulled a small burlap sack from within and handed it to Leaf. "As a token of goodwill and gesture of good faith," he said as he handed for the sack. "May our alliance bear fruit tonight."

"Indeed," Leaf replied and took the sack from him and watched the trio skulk away then emptied the contents of the pouch into her hands, having to eventually use both to cup the gifts together. Three alien stones.

Long ago she had made a pledge to never use a Megastone on her Pokemon like Erik had previously. She breathed a sigh of relief after noticing that they were the other kind of alien stone upon closer inspection, the kind that forces a natural evolution upon a Pokemon rather than a darker forced transformation.

The first two stones were clear, one with a orange centre shaped like a flame and the other a green leaf. The third was more mysterious and was cloudy rather than clear with a crescent in the centre like the moon. Whilst the first stone would evolve a fire-typed Pokemon and the second a grass type, Leaf was unsure which type of Pokemon the moon-shaped stone would evolve.

"Should I?" Leaf stroked Sap's Pokeball then released the grass-type Pokemon. Sap looked from Leaf to the stone and then back to Leaf where she then smiled as if to say she'd accept the evolution. "It'll be okay," Leaf spoke softly. "Courtney did this many times without failure. The evolution is clean and natural unlike a Megastone," she reassured her Pokemon then pressed the stone against her Gloom who was then taken by bright light.

A Vileplume emerged with a massive but flat red flower atop its small blue body. The plant was so large it looked almost too heavy for the Pokemon to bear but the evolution had proved successful. Leaf now toyed with the firestone in her hands and pondered which of her Pokemon to use it on.

"I wonder," she whispered and picked up Heiko's Pokeball. "I have no fire types," she thought to herself. "But what would happen if I used this stone on a normal type Pokemon." She had considered using the stone on Belly but the results could proved disastrous on such an enormous creature so she opted for her Eevee instead.

Heiko purred nervously towards Leaf as his trainer pressed the stone against him then he became engulfed in brightness. A Flareon appeared once the light had dissipated. The Eevee's fur had turned from brown to orange and the mane around his neck had turned yellow along with his tail. Heiko had also slightly increased in size and now weakly spat fire as he tested his new abilities.

"See," Leaf said and smiled towards Wally's old Pokemon. "It worked." Heiko offered a shy smile in response then was recalled into his Pokeball. Leaf considered using the moonstone on Belly but decided the best course of action was to wait until later. For now, she would withdraw two Pokemon from Storage. Club, the Cubone she had rescued in Lavender Town would be the first and a Horsea, a tiny ocean-blue water type which closely resembled a seahorse and was named Spurt for the powerful sprays of water he shot from a spout-like mouth.

* * *

Leaf allowed the grains of sand to trickle through her hand and the cold waves to splash against her bare feet. The day was too cold and the wind too brisk for anyone else to sit on Fuschia City's beach but Leaf enjoyed the serenity and space to think. Her Pokemon danced joyously along the shoreline with Heiko, Club and Sap racing each other through the sand and Spurt charging against the water to defeat them all in their competition.

"Released by an as of yet unknown culprit," Gabby, the news reporter, bellowed through Leaf's PokeNav. An announcement for the next round of Kanto's Champion Tournament was due any moment and Leaf sat eagerly awaiting the news. "Our glorious army are searching high and low for Lord Raven and will leave no stone unturned in their efforts." The big news which had shook the region today was the escape of Lord Raven from within the Government's grasp.

"Well he's not going to return to Johto any time soon," Leaf said and sighed. "Rocket still have that region locked down."

"An investigation as to whoever the one man was who helped him to escape has also begun," Gabby continued, once more relaying the information that it had been a single person who had freed Johto's ex-governor for unknown intentions. "But any updates will be reported to you, our people, as soon as we have them."

"Don't care about this," Leaf said and rolled her eyes. The escape of Lord Raven could have unforeseen consequences but with the man powerless and penniless they would be in the far future and she had enough problems to deal with right now.

"Now to bring you the draw for the quarters finals of Kanto's Champion Tournament!" Gabby perked up and shouted the announcement with bundles of enthusiasm. "We are down to the best eight trainers our region has to offer and the ties will be drawn right now by our newly promoted Secretary of State, Courtney Razzo!." Ty, the cameraman, moved the picture from his colleague to show the background where Courtney stood gleaming.

"Giovanni...is...Sakaki...Blue...Razzo," Wally's final words rang like an alarm in her mind. "Courtney Razzo," Leaf gasped as a piece of the puzzle was revealed, but where it slotted in the grand picture of Kanto and Team Rocket's dark secrets she had no clue. "Courtney, Blue and Sakaki," Leaf spoke aloud. "I think those three are the key. But to what?"

"Hello hello!" Courtney shrieked, clearly enjoying the camera on her a little too much as she bounced excitedly whilst waving a hand and clutching eight pieces of scrunched up paper in another.

"So," Gabby said as the camera panned out to show both her and the woman who had received a promotion in the wake of her husband's death and was now officially Archer's second in command. "Courtney shall present to me the eight pieces of paper and each will have one contestants name scrawled upon it. I have been gifted the tremendous honour of selecting each of the scraps of paper in turn and the order of which I draw the names will decide the ties. Still confused? Well watch and learn," Gabby said and beamed.

"Go go go!" Courtney trembled with excitement and Leaf swore she caught different coloured markings on each piece of paper for a brief moment until the Secretary of Kanto cupped her hands and shook them violently to shuffle the pack. She reopened her palm and Gabby hesitated whilst searching the papers then began to take one at a time, piece by piece and calling out the names as she read them.

"First up," Gabby called out and showed the name, Lorelei Kanna. "We have the queen of ice and ex-Elite Four member Lorelei Kanna." Gabby then picked out the next name. "And she shall face," she paused and unravelled the next scrap of paper. "Silver Razzo! Who I'm lead to believe is Courtney and our beloved late Giovanni's son?" she asked of the woman beside her.

"Razzo," Leaf said and almost choked on the word as if it was poison on her tongue whilst Courtney gabbered her son's praises. "There's two Razzos? A fake name invented to cover their true identities, perhaps?" she thought but the revelation simply confused her more.

"Blue Oak, the grandson of our Kanto's illustrious professor," Gabby read off the next name.

"Please don't be me," Leaf begged.

"And he will face," she said then paused to let the tension bubble and toil within Leaf. "Blaine Katsura!" Gabby announced to her relief. "The master of fire and Cinnabar island's old Gym Leader."

"Phew," Leaf said then turned her gaze towards her Pokemon who played together merrily. Dino and Belly were locked in a wrestling match to test their strength against one another and it appeared to be even. She only half-heard the next matchup between the so called "King of Dragons and ex-Champion Lance Wataru" and "The Elite Four's muscle maestro Bruno Siba" until her own name was called to snap her to attention.

"Leaf Fuguri, an unknown trainer who has roots in both Johto and Hoenn," Gabby called to a glare from Courtney.

"Boo!" Courtney hissed. "Foreigner." She held her thumb downwards and lowered it repeatedly.

"Will face the venomous viper and ex-Gym Leader of Fuschia City, Koga Kyo."

"Ah," Leaf puffed. "The man who lives inside his old gym." She turned her head to face back towards Fuschia City. "Come on then," she shouted across the beach to her team who stopped in their tracks to listen to their trainer. "Let's go battle!" she roared to whoops and cheers from her Pokemon.

* * *

The pencil-thin man stood bolt upright and judged Leaf with lilac coloured eyes which were slits in a taut, wrinkled face that showed his age as much as his greying hair. He bore a black martial arts costume held up by long metallic boots and eyed his opponent keenly.

"Welcome," Koga said, his voice soft but stern. "To my old Gym." He swept a hand across the empty room with its plain white walls and wooden floorboards. At the door which marked the mayoral hall's entrance lay a couple of desks with computers and chairs and they remained the only thing in the room other than the two competitors.

"Hi," Leaf said amidst her surprise at the arena's emptiness. Gym's were usually fully kitted out in a style to reflect and assist the Leader's preference of Pokemon type.

"Don't get lost within the maze of furniture." Koga smiled sarcastically. "I jest," he responded to Leaf's puzzled look. "Where once my Gym was like a maze with long grass, pools of poison and traps, now there is nothing."

"Why?" Leaf asked. She was here for the next round of the tournament but supposed finding out her opponent's background may aid her in the battle to come.

"Because the region has become more corrupt and toxic than a venomous snake bite," he spoke with a bitter calmness. "My Gym had no trainers within for an aspiring challenger to battle. Instead the participant was to prove their wit and cunning along with their Pokemon to make it through layers of traps and toxins. Only teamwork, spirit and determination would see them escape the maze to face me at the end."

"Now it's empty." Leaf looked around once more and struggled to envisage the old layout in the room's blandness.

"Because my Gym is now the town hall, not a proving ground," Koga spat. "Because our 'glorious overlords' wish it so," he sarcastically grumbled. "I had even sent my daughter, Janine, away to Johto to escape the corruption but that region has fallen to our 'masters' as well."

"Most of Kanto's population think our government are great," Leaf said and sighed.

"I am a master of poison," Koga said proudly. "My Pokemon sedate their opponents with venom which corrupts their system. We win victories through cunning and grit. We trick then terrorise our foes," he spoke passionately then his voice turned sharper, darker even. "Which is exactly what Team Rocket have done to our government. I see it Leaf, because they are using tricks that I myself use in battle. But instead of winning victory on a battlefield, Team Rocket have won victory over an entire region."

"Surprised they haven't got rid of you," Leaf said. "As an outspoken rebel."

"I don't tell of the plight to every dumb civilian that walks within my City. I tell you because you are the Resistance, the last hope of our beleaguered nation."

"How did you-" Leaf began.

"Know thy enemy," Koga finished. "And know thy antagonist's enemies. I know who you are, Leaf Fuguri, because I believe in you. I believe in what you and the Resistance are doing."

"But we must fight," Leaf said with regret.

"Because we both have something to fight for," Koga shared the disappointment. "All my life I have wished to join the Elite Four and eventually become Champion. At first it was to impress my beloved father, a hero. Now, I yearn to impress my beautiful daughter, Janine."

"I understand," Leaf said and smiled.

"But some things are more important." Koga broke eye contact for the first time and sunk his gaze to look at the wooden flooring. "You can save Kanto. A region I have fought for and lived in my entire life. A nation where I wish my child and my future grandchildren to grow old and happy within." Koga looked back to her. "I cannot surrender, my pride forbids it." The man suddenly clasped three of the six Pokeballs on his belt and rolled them across the room towards the desks. "I will purposely lose to you, Leaf. But I will go down fighting. On two conditions that I already know you will accept."

"Go on," Leaf said softly towards her foe.

"Firstly," he began. "If Janine ever returns to Kanto, or you Resistance ever take the fight to Johto, I ask that you protect her. She is a powerful trainer but still, I worry like a father will."

"Gladly," Leaf said. "And the second?"

"You win, Leaf Fuguri," Koga snarled. "You win this tournament and you save our region!"

Leaf nodded then went to remove three of the Pokeballs from her belt to match her opponent but he checked her with a held hand and a sharp and firm "no".

"If I were young I'd fight Rocket alongside you but alas my age has defeated me. Those three Pokeballs that I threw away contain two poison types and a psychic type which would be strong against anyone who uses my own game against me. The three on my belt are the poisonous Arbok. A counter to poison types in Sandslash and my plan b, Machamp. If my cunning and speed are matched then I switch to my Machamp's physical strength."

"Why are you telling me this?" Leaf enquired.

"To ensure your victory," Koga said with a wry smile. "Know thy enemy," he said once more. "I am not only fighting you because of pride but because if Team Rocket know I outright surrendered to you then they'd punish me and I still wish to live until the day I hold my first grandchild."

"I understand," Leaf said and clasped Sap's Pokeball. "Ready?"

"Before you were even born." Koga smiled ferociously like a warrior entering the battlefield. He appeared to enjoy battles as much as he ever did and released his Arbok to battle with

Leaf's Vileplume who bowed using the plant atop his head towards her opponent in an attempt to unsettle it.

As fast as lightning the Arbok lashed out and bit at Sap again and again at speeds Leaf's Pokemon was unable to keep up with. Jaws laced with venom nipped at the Vileplume who attempted to release spores into the air but the tenacity and swiftness of the repeated strikes rendered him helpless and unable to fight off Koga's Pokemon.

"Use the flower as a shield," Leaf hastily advised her friend who replied by lowering the plant amidst the attacks and leaving the Arbok to strike the poisonous petals instead. Any other Pokemon who consumed part of the Vileplume's plant would ingest toxins into their system but the Arbok seemed to only be strengthened by the poison and Koga's Pokemon's nibbles turned to full bites at an unrelenting pace.

"No!" Leaf scream as Sap weakened and then fell to the attacks causing the bond between trainer and Pokemon to sever in a painful tear. "I thought you were letting me win?" she asked Koga who glared at her.

"If you cannot best me, even though I've told you the Pokemon I'm using and why," he responded sternly. "How can you hope to become Champion?" His words stung Leaf like his Arbok striking.

"You're right," she conceded and allowed his words to heighten her own resolve. "I must give this my all." Leaf reached to her belt and pulled Spurt's Pokeball from it and released the water type onto the wooden floor. Her Horsea hobbled around the flooring looking somewhat uncomfortable out of the water and merely bounced on his tail.

The Arbok struck again like a bolt of lightning but whereas Sap was almost immobile due to the giant plant, Spurt was able to hop around the blow and respond by blasting water from his spout which struck Koga's Pokemon with ferocity and caused the poison-type to recoil. Whilst the Arbok was recovering Spurt tried a new attack and released a stream of bubbles which shot towards his foe like a beam. Once the bubbles had reached the Arbok they exploded like water bombs which caused Koga's Pokemon to wince upon the surprisingly powerful explosions and some of the projectiles even managed to enter his mouth and get inside his system where they wreaked havoc within.

"Go Spurt!" Leaf shouted to her Horsea who whinnied then hopped on the spot triumphantly as the Arbok fell.

"Intriguing," Koga observed. "I've never seen a Pokemon defeated by bubbles before."

"Spurt come back," Leaf called to her Horsea, seeing her Pokemon exhausted by the efforts of his first battle. "Let's see what Heiko can go now he's evolved," she spoke of her Flareon who faced up to a Sandslash. Koga's newest fighter had yellow skin protected by a tough hide topped with sharp brown quills used to defend himself. On the offense, the ground-type would use the large claws affixed to both hands and both feet which were like swords.

Koga's Pokemon moved with speed and agility to match Heiko's and the two were locked in a standoff awaiting the other's attack. The Flareon hesitated then shot a ball of fire towards the Sandslash who used its claws to swipe the flames from the air then leapt at the exposed Heiko. Leaf's Pokemon ducked from the sharp claws then spun to unleash more flames, but once again the embers were simply swept aside by the Sandslash.

Leaf watched Koga who stood with his arms folded and a full focus on the battle which unfolded before him. She struggled to see underneath his calm demeanor and find out what he was thinking so switched her own attentions back to Heiko who had just received a firm blow from the Sandslash's quills as he tried tackling his foe. The Sandslash leapt again with claws raised then rained down terror on the Flareon by slashing at Heiko with sword-like claws.

"Come back," Leaf said weakly. "Heiko, back here!" she called louder a second time, her Pokemon was losing and losing badly. The Flareon looked back to her defiantly such was his eagerness to prove himself but upon narrowly avoiding another potentially lethal slash he sprinted back towards Leaf who recalled Heiko to his Pokeball and released Club in his place.

The Cubone stood motionless for a few seconds whilst grasping the bone club in her grip. She dipped her head and Leaf knew he was thinking of the loneliness and longing which filled her like water filled the ocean. Club had lost her mother within Pokemon Tower to Team Rocket and had only ventured from her home with Leaf in a quest to exact revenge upon her mother's killers. Her mother had been a Marowak, the evolved form of Cubone, and for Club to reach this stage he would have to overcome her grief and fully begin the path of vengeance.

Koga's Sandslash went first, slashing with claws which the Cubone span her club to parry the strikes. Club then slammed her head against the Sandslash using the power of the skull she wore then span on the spot. She then attempted to whack her foe with the club but it was the Sandslash's turn to parry the blow then hit Club with a riposte, slashing the Cubone with claws..

"Stay strong," Leaf begged her Pokemon who staggered backwards upon receiving the blow, but her Cubone winced in pain and crouched to the floor, using the bone club to support her. "Don't let your grief destroy you," Leaf spoke to her friend. Whilst inside Pokemon Tower the Cubone was spurred on by fighting against the people who had destroyed her life, she now struggled to maintain the willpower she needed to succeed.

"Finish this," Koga said and nodded to his Sandslash who scraped his claws against each other to sharpen them for the killing blow then leapt towards its foe. Club used the bone to haul herself back to her feet then turned away the Sandslash's attack with her club but the ground type swiftly recovered and spun with agility to slash at the Cubone and send Club sprawling across the wooden floor.

Leaf looked away and waited for the soul tearing blow which never came. She returned her gaze to the battlefield and saw Club holding onto her life whilst the Sandslash marched up to his foe to apply the final strike.

"Are you going to fall now, Club?" Leaf shouted. "Are you going to fall some irrelevant place before you've taken your revenge on Team Rocket?" The Cubone seemed to almost sigh at her words as if all hope had been extinguished and the Sandslash pulled back his claws ready to dig them into its foe and finish the fight. "The only way to avenge your mother is to move on from her death," Leaf tried once last time. "You can't be in her clutches anymore. But you're not alone, we're in this together Club. The only way we can both take down Team Rocket is if you accept your mother is gone and find your own way to avenge her, together with me." Club looked from the Sandslash's lowering lethal claws to Leaf then nodded. The claws hit their target but instead of penetrating the Cubone they instead were thrown back by a bright white light which had engulfed her.

A Marowak emerged. The skull Club had worn on her head had now melded onto her, becoming part of her. As had the bone club which had now stretched in size and slenderness. Her eyes had turned from an innocent green to a vengeful red and her frame had increased in bulk. Club nodded once again towards Leaf then turned on her opponent.

"You continue to both impress and intrigue," Koga said to Leaf although his eyes remained firmly fixed on the battle. His Sandslash used claws to parry the first few strikes of the Marowak's bone club but was unable to withstand the unrelenting assaults from Club. She eventually broke her opponent's guard and clobbered Koga's Pokemon until it lay defeated. Then Club herself collapsed from exhaustion.

"Time for my final fighter," Koga announced seemingly unpreturbed that he was now losing heavily. "My Machamp," he continued and released the enormous beast into his old Gym.

The fighting type stood just a few inches shorter than its trainer but had more bulk than any human could ever dream of. Four enormous arms sprouted from a bulging chest with two on each side and were matched by two legs swollen by muscle as teal skin stretched across his well defined body.

"I'm gonna need a bigger Pokemon," Leaf groaned and took Belly's Pokeball from her belt to release the Snorlax. Koga's Pokemon moved swiftly and lashed out at its opponent with a punch which Belly caught in his paw. The Machamp punched with another fist and once again the Snorlax grabbed the coming blow but was unable to resist the fighting type's two other arms which landed a barrage of blows upon Leaf's Pokemon.

"Stay strong," she squeaked as Belly withstood punches like meteor strikes. The Machamp stopped to recuperate after expending a plentiful amount of energy in his assault to allow the Snorlax a chance to counter. Belly replied with an attack that held the force of ten of the Machamp's punches. He held his enormous stomach in his hands then charged towards his opponent and slammed the fat into the Machamp who fell over from the power of the strike. Leaf's Pokemon collapsed upon his foe and attempted to suffocate Koga's fighter as he had done with Courtney's Poliwrath.

"How ungraceful," Koga muttered and shook his head. "But whatever works, works," he finished whilst watching his Pokemon squirm underneath the layers of fat piled upon him. Then, to Leaf's dismay, Belly began to be slowly lifted into the air. She guessed her Snorlax weighed at least five or six times the weight of a large man but here he was being hoisted upwards by the Machamp's four muscular arms.

"My turn to be impressed," Leaf said to Koga and watched his Machamp escape a lethal tomb of flab. Both Pokemon returned to their feet and it was the fighting type who moved fastest, using his front two arms in a downward motion in a move like a cross-chop. Belly once again caught the initial strike but this time was wise to the follow-up and pushed his opponent back with a kick. The Machamp staggered backwards and Leaf's Snorlax took the opportunity to slam his forehead into his foe then continue the assault by landing a few punches of his own.

"This is it then," Koga conceded as his Machamp slumped to his knees and Belly took a few backwards steps then launched into a sprint which was more of a fast walk. The Snorlax used a leap top propel himself off of his feet, spreading his arms out in a dive then the master of poison watched as his Machamp was crushed by Leaf's Pokemon's enormous stomach.

"I lay defeated and out of the tournament," Koga said. "I place my faith in you, Leaf Fuguri, and your Resistance. To liberate our Kanto from the tyrannical Team Rocket and once again return peace and freedom to our region."

"I will do," Leaf said as Belly celebrated at his victory by using his hands to pound his belly like a drum. "I promise you that, Koga."

* * *

"I wonder," Leaf spoke as she twirled the moon-shaped stone betwixt her fingers. Evening had fallen across Kanto and the last of the sun's rays lit up Fuchsia City's southern beach whilst the sea settled calmly as it awaited the darkness that night would bring. "What happens if I use this on you," she said to the newest addition to her team, Stomp. The Nidorino purred towards her as if he accepted the stone. She had seen Courtney use exactly the same shaped rock on a Nidorino before and the beast had transformed into a Nidoking. She hoped it would work the same for her.

Leaf pressed the alien rock against Stomp who was then taken by the white light then was released from the brightness as a Nidoking. The poison type stood a head shorter than her but was covered in armour and weaponry and would hopefully appear intimidating to her future opponents. He roared triumphantly at his evolution.

"Good," a familiar voice called from behind her. "That shall prove useful." Leaf turned to see Ethan approaching and he was once again flanked by two Servants, one trimmed with orange and the other with turquoise.

"Ethan," Leaf greeted him. "Whats up?"

"We're ready," he said happily. "A small pocket of us Servants still hunt for the last Angel but the majority of our flock now awaits you and I," he said with a beaming grin.

"Awaits us for what?" Leaf asked.

"Phone up all your Resistance friends." Ethan's smile threatened to take over his entire face at the rate it was growing. "And get them all to meet us in Saffron City."

"You haven't?" Leaf gasped.

"Oh we have my friend. Finally," he said and watched Leaf reach for her PokeNav to phone Blue and inform him to meet her and the Servant's assault force in Saffron City ready to strike at the heart of their enemy.

"Blue," Leaf said hurriedly to her friend once he answered. "We've found it."

"Found what?" Blue said.

"Rocket's headquarters. Saffron City. We have an army to strike at them. Courtney and Silver and Erik and Archer should all be inside. This is it Blue. This is everything we've been building for. The battle to decide the fate of Kanto!"


	15. All Out War

**Chapter Fourteen - All Out War**

A hush swept over Kanto's capital city. Civilians barred and locked the doors to their homes and hid within to peer out windows and watch the forthcoming violence. It felt like the calm before a storm which would shake the entire world and decide the fates of all involved. Darkness had fallen across the region and Saffron City was lit up by streetlights which poured illumination along the gathered ranks of Servants and Team Rocket warriors.

"Cold, isn't it," Leaf spoke for the first time in a few minutes. She stood side by side with Ethan and Blue as the trio surveyed the battleground from atop a building which overlooked the two armies.

"A chill evening," Ethan said as a wind whipped his golden cloak. "I smell rain."

"I smell battle," Leaf added and looked to Blue next to her who just gulped and remained suspiciously silent.

"When will the rest of the Resistance forces be arriving," Ethan asked the two of them.

"We are the Resistance," Leaf said and laughed without humour. "Blue and I are all that remains." It was Ethan's turn to gulp and turn to silence. He had obviously thought a sizable number of Resistance fighters would bolster his own ranks which numbered in the high twenties. His Servants now stood in Robes trimmed with a plethora of colours and lined the streets so that Leaf could almost taste the nervous tension in the air which emanated from both forces.

"So," Ethan began then stopped as he struggled to find his next words. He eyed the opposing force who stood in a long line outside of the enormous tower known as "Silph Company Tower", Team Rocket's main base of operations with Giovanni's former offices and meeting rooms residing on the top level. Leaf counted fifteen Rocket grunts on foot who all clasped Pokeballs in their hands and a further five in the same battlesuits which she had encountered within Viridian Forest.

"Evenly matched," she said.

"Those machines appear menacing," Ethan said and sighed.

"I've fought them before. They have a power unit on the back which is slightly exposed. That's their weakness."

"I shall inform the flock."

"That's Erik's old house," Blue suddenly entered the conversation and pointed to a building on the same street. "The one he grew up in."

"Fascinating," Ethan replied before Leaf could speak. "That's opposite our way in."

"Our way in?" Leaf said. "The front door is our way in, isn't it?" She received a wry smile in response from Ethan.

"Our flock will engage upon my command," he said proudly. "But act merely as a decoy. A distraction to our true purpose. You two and I shall enter through a secret escape passage carved into the basement of the building opposite your 'Erik's house' and follow the tunnels through to within Silph Company Tower." Leaf remarked the building named 'Taylor's Pokemon Accessories' and winced as she realised that Giovanni and Rocket must've been keeping an eye on Erik his whole life.

"How do you know all this?" Blue asked of Ethan.

"An informant on the inside. And no, not the Servant."

"Who then?" Leaf said.

"Sometimes we must keep secrets even from our allies," Ethan replied then rummaged around his robe's pocket and pulled out a Pokeball. "Our leader apologises for not present today," he continued and held out the capsule to Leaf. "She offers you this Pokemon as a goodwill present instead. A Lapras." Leaf took the Pokeball and decided to name the water type Pokemon 'Loch', then watched the Pokeball zap into thin air as it disappeared into Storage once the Pokemon's allegiance had changed hands.

"Thank you," Leaf said then turned her gaze back towards the Rocket grunts who patiently awaited the Servants to make the first move.

"Let us begin," Ethan said and moved up to the edge of the rooftop where they stood. "My devoted flock," he bellowed out to the Servants who had thus far awaited his command to begin the war. "The final piece of the puzzle which will free Him awaits within this cursed place! If we win today then He will grant us passage to paradise! Those machines the grunts house themselves inside have but one weakness. An exposed power conductor laid upon the rear of the demonic monster. Break them and burst within the tower where we shall join you within. Do this, my flock, and paradise will await you! Go now! To war!" he finished to a blood-curdling roar from his followers who released a legion of various Pokemon into the streets. The battle had begun.

* * *

The ruckus and chaotic chimes of war resounded above the narrow tunnel which was lit up dimly by Blue's Chameleon's tail as the fire type led the way. Water dripped from the pipes which ran along the roof and walls of the passageway carved through stone like veins leading into the heart of Team Rocket, Silph Company Tower. A musty smell added to the damp atmosphere as Leaf once again stepped into a shallow puddle, causing Blue to laugh at her misfortune.

"Keep going," Ethan said from the rear of the trio who trekked anxiously through the ancient passage.

"I'm trying," Leaf snapped back and had to step over a piece of fallen rock.

"She's always moaning," Blue said with a laugh.

"You've perked up," Leaf snapped once again. "Not mopey and miserable now then?"

"You always cheer me up," Blue said almost sweetly to which Leaf smiled. "When you're here, I know there's someone even worse off than I am!" He received a scowl in response.

"Always the smarty pants," Leaf thought then smiled again once she saw light protruding from what seemed to be the end of the tunnel. "There!" she said to her two allies who followed her closely.

"He shall be praised!" Ethan said with delight. They had trekked for only a few minutes, but that short amount of time must've seemed like hours and Leaf knew the owner of the shop, Taylor, must've regained consciousness by now and be on her way to warn Rocket of their approach.

"What do you think is waiting for us?" Leaf asked once they approached the light and saw a mechanical room welcoming them packed full of electrical instruments, conductors, pipes, generators, switches, cables and more.

"A spa bath and massage," Blue replied. "Maybe a warm dinner. Oh and a-"

"Shut up," Leaf snapped. "Looks like a maintenance room."

"A plant room," Ethan corrected her. "That's what my man on the inside says anyway."

"Who is this 'man', anyway?" Leaf said.

"A Servant," Ethan said proudly.

"His name," Leaf said more forcefully.

"She relinquished her name when she joined us," Ethan said with a bright smile. They had entered the plant room now which was devoid of any Rocket operatives. Leaf thought that they must all be too busy fighting off the Servants.

"She?" Blue said then chuckled. "You've been saying 'your man'?"

"We don't distinguish our flock by gender."

"So what was her name?" Leaf pressed although she was unsure why. Maybe knowing their helper by name would ease the tension that gripped her heart. She stood with her allies at basement level and the only way to proceed was by a staircase she initially thought to be unguarded. Upon closer inspection however, she spotted a figure cloaked by shadows. Someone had indeed been waiting for them.

"Kris," Ethan answered her earlier question unaware of the figure's presence.

"Oak named you Blue for the colour of your pretty little eyes," the figure spoke, the voice feminine.

"What?" Blue and Leaf spoke in unison. Blue through surprise, Leaf through confusion.

"A welcoming host," Ethan spoke cheerfully. "And we are to be your guests?"

"No no no," the figure spoke and clearly waggled a finger. "Just Bluey-boy."

"Courtney," Leaf growled, recognising who it was who had spoken.

"No!" The Rocket leader stamped a foot in frustration. "How did you know?" She exited the shadows atop the stairs and held out a hand to Blue. "Come on boy," she spoke softly. "Leave these two losers and come upstairs."

"And why would I do a thing like that?" Blue said confidently and released his entire team of Pokemon. An Alakazam, the psychic typed final evolution of Abra, stood next to his Charmeleon with a Pidgeot hovering above. An Exeggcute, five pink coloured eggs who had psychic abilities, rolled around the floor, and an enormous Gyarados who roared at Courtney.

"Ooh," Courtney squealed and bounced. "Another Gyarados! I likey, I like!"

"Time to finish this," Leaf said and released her team.

"Wait...You're not coming with me are you?" Upon realising that, Courtney turned to flee up the stairs but not before a horde of Pokemon streamed from the darkened entrance to protect her. Raticate, Rattata, Koffing, Grimer, Muk, Golbat and Zubat all swarmed the room.

"Ready?" Leaf nodded to Blue.

"Always."

Leaf looked to Ethan who calmly stood and watched as the slaughter began. He listened to the sound of his Servants doing battle with the Rocket battlesuits and operatives outside and she remarked he used no Pokemon himself but simply observed the fight unfolding before him. Club moved like she was possessed by a vengeful spirit, leaving swathes of defeated Pokemon in her path as she screamed vengeance. Spurt led the charge alongside her, mowing down opposition Pokemon with powerful blasts of water and exploding bubbles. But most surprising was Heiko's sudden aptitude for battle. The Flareon tore through Rocket Pokemon like a hot knife went through butter. Wally's former Pokemon was fuelled by a desire to avenge his fallen master and best friend and fought as if Wally himself still commanded him.

"This is for you, Wally," Leaf thought. It was a massacre, but the war for Silph Company Tower had only just begun.

* * *

Hordes of Pokemon fell to the Resistance in the plant room as Leaf and Blue combined their strength and yet more creatures fell like rain during a storm in the entrance hall where the Servants and Rocket did battle.

"To think," Ethan spoke. "These Pokemon, so loyal, so ready to follow us into battle. And for what? To fall at our hands in a war that is meaningless to them."

The trio looked through an open glass window that overlooked the hall. They had ascended many staircases and Leaf felt sweat pouring down her face and dampening her skin. Rocket grunts and Pokemon had thrown themselves defiantly at her and Blue's Pokemon but all had fallen in their defence of Silph Company Tower. Heiko and Club had especially impressed Leaf, as had Stomp the Nidoking, but Ethan's words stung her like a Beedrill's tail. There was no denying the truth in his speech.

"Yet it's the only way," the Servant continued. "For our sins we don't suffer half as much as our Pokemon do. As our friends do."

"Rocket's sins," Leaf corrected him. "We do this because we must." She looked to her team who all eagerly awaited her next command. They were obedient to the end, ready to follow her wherever she may lead them without question.

"Razzo!" Courtney sang from the top of the stairs. "It means Rocket, you know!" She had taunted and teased the trio their entire way up with songs and insults. Mainly aimed at Blue.

"Can't wait to push her back down these stairs," Blue said darkly.

"My name is Razzo," Courtney continued. "It means Rocket oh don't you know!"

"What's so important about the name Razzo?" Leaf asked Ethan who shrugged his shoulders.

"Did you know it means Rocket?" Blue replied. "Can't remember who I heard that from though." Leaf noticed that despite his confident demeanour, something was upsetting her friend.

"Who is Sakaki?" Leaf called up to Courtney as she recalled Wally's final words.

"Sakaki is Giovanni and he is dead!" Courtney responded and laughed hysterically.

"Sakaki?" Ethan asked then Blue said something that shocked them both.

"There's been something I've been keeping from you, Leaf."

"What's that?" she replied with surprise.

"You'll find out when we reach the top."

"Why have you kept secrets?" she said, half shocked, half angry.

"You'll find out when we reach the top," he repeated and turned to silence.

"Is it why you've been acted so strange recently?" she asked, remembering how sullen and quiet Blue had been since Wally's death. Then thought that surely if Blue had been present at the poisoning, he would know the meaning to Wally's final words. "I thought you were just shocked at Wally's death," she said as much to herself as to him.

"Look," Ethan said and pointed to the scene of two Servant's Pokemon, a Geodude and a Beedrill, destroying a battlesuit by attacking the power unit at its rear. The suit exploded to a huge cheer from the seven Servants who remained.

"Let's go," Blue said sternly and looked up the stairs to where Courtney hung her head over a rail and waved to them.

"His name is Blue," she sang. "And his name is Oak," she continued as Leaf began the charge up the stairwell. "And he's in for such a shock you'll all choke!" she finished and began fleeing to where the staircase ended. A level below the meeting room on the top floor, Ethan had told them. Where surely Silver and the other Rocket leaders awaited them.

* * *

"Don't let them through," Courtney sang to a host of seven grunts who guarded the far end of the wide, open hallway. "Or maybe do. But it will be the end of you."

"Out of the way," Leaf snarled to the seven. "Or you'll regret it!"

"No no no," Courtney said. "They'll regret moving." The Rocket grunts looked to one another with confused expressions. Leaf saw the doubt in their faces, their comrades were still battling the Servants downstairs with more and more grunts being forced into the reception hall to hold off the onslaught leaving Blue, Leaf and Ethan a relatively clear pathway to the senior levels of Silph Company Tower.

"Enough games, Courtney," Leaf said. "These seven will just slow us, not stop us. Surrender now."

"Never!" Courtney screeched and ran up a stairwell behind the grunts to disappear up onto the highest level of the tower.

"Hold them," one of the grunts called out. He featured thinning purple hair and goatee with a face that reminded Leaf of a weasel. "I am Executive Petrel," he said to the Leaf, Blue and Ethan. "And I will hold you here until our forces crush yours down below and join us to eliminate you in a pincer attack."

"Nice plan," Blue said. "Thanks for telling us." Dino roared to try and intimidate the seven grunts who didn't so much as flinch, they were clearly all well trained and vastly experienced.

"Ariana, Proton flank left," Pretel ordered his colleagues. "Carl and Grey go right." The four ordered high ranking Rocket members followed his commands obediently with Pokeballs in hand. "Sham and Kris stay with me. All of you now release your fighters and hold this room!"

"Ready?" Leaf asked of Ethan and Blue who watched the Rocket executives and admins release a score of Raticate, Weezing, Muk, Golbat, Arbok. A Vileplume was also released by who Leaf assumed was Ariana. Kris, who had teal eyes and the same coloured hair tied up in two pigtails, released two Mankey, a Beedrill and a Raticate.

"Certainly," Ethan replied to her and released a Pokemon of his own for the first time, a Golem. The rock type was just that, a boulder that stood just shorter than its trainer and sprouted two brown arms and legs tipped with sharp claws and a small head with angry crimson eyes.

"This is it," Blue said. Leaf was unsure whether he spoke to her or just himself but noted the apprehension shaking his body.

Leaf had expected a nervous standoff between the two warring groups where each Pokemon taunted another or waiting anxiously for an opponent or ally to make the first move. Club had shattered that thought however and was closely followed by Heiko as Leaf's Pokemon began their vengeful charge with Spurt lagging behind.

Club swatted aside a Golbat who plunged to meet him then swiped at an Arbok's lethal bite. Heiko launched spheres of fire towards a floating Weezing then rammed into a Raticate who had charged towards him. Spurt shot exploding bubbles towards flying Golbat whilst two Raticate attempted to flank him. Stomp held Leaf's left flank from Carl and Grey's Pokemon and Belly her right from Ariana and Proton whilst Dino whipped vines towards any flying or floating Pokemon that attempted to approach from above.

Leaf saw that Kris's Pokemon had held back and guarded the three Rocket members who stood blocking the passage to the stairs, much to Petrel's noticeable fury as he clearly chided her for the decision.

"Exact divine retribution upon our foes!" Ethan roared to his Golem who had begun a wrestling match with two Raticate, one in each arm, and was winning. Leaf noticed Blue trembling beside her as he watched his Pokemon. His Alakazam shot unseen psychic attacks towards the Rocket Pokemon who collapsed once their minds had been severely fried from within. His Pidgeot led a lone aerial charge against a group of Golbats and his Gyarados took the centre of the room and used bites and water blasts against any opponents who dared approach. Leaf had lost sight of the five small eggs named collectively as Exeggcute but saw Blue's Charmeleon joining Spurt, Club and Heiko on the front lines.

Club batted away another poisonous strike by an Arbok and span his bone club around then wedged it between a Raticate's open jaws, the Rocket Pokemon having had tried to chomp down upon his bone skull. Heiko burst roaring flames into the Raticate's open mouth then turned sharply to avoid a swooping Golbat and rolled to avoid a spit of sludge from a Muk. Spurt blasted a spray of water at the Golbat who had tried to strike Heiko and the liquid collided with the creature and caused it to fall from the sky where Club then pummelled it into submission. Blue's Charmeleon dealt with the Muk who had targeted Heiko, using a flamethrower which erupted from inside the pit of his stomach and escaped from his mouth.

Leaf turned to see Stomp pluck a Weezing from the air and slam it into the ground then use his sharp and poisonous horn to pierce a Raticate who had leapt at him. Belly and Ethan's Golem teamed up on the other side and seemed to have a competition over who could outwrestle the most Rocket Pokemon. Leaf saw Arianna's Vileplume fall to a combination of Blue's Alakazam's psychic attacks and the emerging Exeggcute shooting out seeds like bullets at the exposed foe.

Then she felt it. The sharp and agonising pain of losing a Pokemon.

Leaf clutched her heart and looked to the battlefield. There was no sound other than the roar of war that filled the room, no death calling screeches or painful cries, just the din of mass battle. She looked to Dino first and saw her Venusaur slapping a Golbat who approached Leaf with a vine. Then quickly flicked from Stomp to Belly and saw both wrestling with Rocket Pokemon.

"Heiko," she gasped suddenly. The Resistance's vanguard of Club, Charmeleon, Heiko and Spurt had been lost from her vision, hidden by Gyarados and a plethora of Rocket Pokemon.

"No," Blue cried out suddenly from beside her. "No please no!" She looked to what he had seen and felt the air escape her lungs and her heart stop. Heiko lay prone on the floor, injured and weak but alive. Next to him lay the defeated Spurt, the Horsea having been the one who Leaf had now lost. Blue's Charmeleon had collapsed holding a pain in his side, a large cut had appeared from where a Rocket Pokemon had slashed him. All that remained of the vanguard was now Club who swatted aside Pokemon after Pokemon, refusing to be defeated. They were being swarmed from all sides. Petrel's tactic had worked, Proton and Carl's Pokemon had been split into two, half to battle the Gyarados and half to surrounded the Resistance's forward four fighters. Grey and Sham had attacked Leaf, Blue and Ethan from both sides whilst Petrel and Sham crushed them from the centre. The only reason they hadn't yet been defeated was Club's final stand.

"Keep going!" Leaf roared to her Marowak. "Keep fighting. Not just for your mother. Not just for your vengeance. But for us. For your friends. We're all in this together!" Club span around to generate more power in her bone club and whacked a Raticate in the jaw then moved to cut off a Muk who had approached the failing Heiko. She took a running jump over the Muk and rammed his club into it then leapt to the aid of the Flareon once more. But failed to stop an Arbok from getting to Blue's Charmeleon.

"No!" Blue howled and turned to Leaf in his desperation. "Look. I know I'm not the greatest of guys and sometimes I've been a bit, you know, mean to you. But you'll understand why soon. I promise. I just can't lose my mate out there." He turned to look back to his Charmeleon who was now wrapped in the Arbok's embrace. The poison type had coiled it's long but powerful body around Blue's Pokemon and began to choke the life from him.

"Thought you didn't care?" Leaf said, a little too coldly. She hadn't meant the words to come out so harshly.

"He's my friend," Blue said weakly. His Charmeleon looked back towards him. He had once been owned by Erik but since his former trainer had been captured the Charmeleon had become both loyal and close to Blue. "Probably my only real friend." Blue finished and watched his only friend falter then drop his head. Then become engulfed in a bright light which took the room.

Leaf shielded her eyes and heard shouts from Petrel that she hadn't expected to hear. He was calling for all the Rocket executives and admins to return to his side for a final stand. But one evolution couldn't have caused the tides of battle to turn. The light faded and a Charizard screeched. The fire type had become a dragon, with wings and a flame-lit tail and breathed fire upon the retreating Rocket Pokemon who had been caught in a pincer.

"Sorry!" Kris said to Petrel. Her Pokemon had used the evolution to switch sides and attacked Sham and Petrel's fighters from the rear but even with the added support, the battle was still evenly matched.

"You know what!" a shrill voice called from the top of the stairs. Courtney was returning. "I can't do it. I just can't."

"Get back upstairs!" Petrel shouted to her. "We're losing ground. Get to safety!"

"Excuse me!" Courtney shrieked whilst Kris's Beedrill fell in battle to a Golbat, swiftly followed by her Raticate being defeated by an Arbok. "Did you just try to order me around?!"

"We need you to be safe Lady Courtney," Petrel said, the feud distracting him from the battle.

"Well that won't do. Not at all," Courtney snarled at him. "But then again. I just can't hold in my excitement of Blue boy and Leafy girl coming up here." She released a team of six elite Pokemon from her own belt: A Crobat, the evolved form of Golbat. Two Ninetales, a Nidoqueen, a Weezing and a Muk.

"We don't need the support as much as you need to protect herself!" Petrel still protested.

"Shut up," Courtney hissed then commanded her Pokemon to turn on their Rocket allies. Her pair of Ninetales spewed flame and her Weezing moved over to the Rocket executives and self destructed. The Muk launched poisonous sludge towards Rocket members and Pokemon and the Crobat soared above and cut through any flying types attempting to escape the deathly flames, explosion and poison. Her Nidoqueen stood by and guarded her. Kris, Petrel and Sham were caught in the attack, as were all their Pokemon. The other executives fled and took their Pokemon with them whilst Blue's Gyarados was joined by Loch the Lapras, a huge blue beast who resembled a sea dinosaur with a shell upon its back, in spraying the growing flames with water to quench the fires.

"My Lord," Ethan managed a whisper.

"Why," Leaf gasped. "They were her allies. Why?" she asked of Courtney who had just turned on her friends.

"She's insane," Blue said amidst Courtney's howls of laughter.

* * *

After a few minutes the fires died with the assistance of Loch and Gyarados's water blasts and Courtney had disappeared back upstairs. The shock of her actions had stunned Leaf, Blue and Ethan into silence. Proton and Ariana had managed to escape and Leaf had initially thought that Carl and Grey had joined them but Courtney's Crobat had seen to them and they now lay strewn across the floor. Kris, Sham and Petrel had all fallen to either the flames or explosions or poison, Leaf was unsure which.

"Kris was such a sweet girl," Ethan said solemnly. "Such a sweet girl."

"Let's take Courtney down once and for all!" Leaf growled and looked to Blue who's face had turned pale and his body quivered like a leaf in a breeze. Although, he didn't stare at the horror that had befallen the battlefield, but at the stairs that led to the top floor.

"Let's go," he said then gulped having noticed Leaf's gaze upon him. The trio walked cautiously towards the staircase and heard the dying embers of battle below them and the clanking of battlesuits racing up the stairwell that the trio had initially climbed to reach this level. That meant the Servants had been either pushed back or defeated and that the Rocket army was now coming for them.

Leaf quickened her pace and began to climb the staircase which led into a narrow corridor that widened slightly at the end where it led to a single, wooden door which was marked "Meeting Room". Paintings hung along the hallway and other wooden doors with signs denoting which office they led to.

"Welcome," Courtney greeted them from aside the wooden door. "To the top level."

"You!" Leaf said savagely. "How could you?!"

"They were fodder and I was the cannon," Courtney said then winked to Leaf.

"I should kill you here and now and end this!" Leaf approached Courtney with a raised fist, Ethan and Blue in close tow.

"You should, you should!" Courtney bounced excitedly. "But not yet! Oh no not yet!"

"Give me one reason why not." Leaf grabbed Courtney and pinned her to the wall to receive hysterical laughter in return.

"Because of what awaits us within," Blue said glumly.

"Should we come up?" a mechanical voice called from below. The battlesuits had reached the bottom of the stairs.

"No no no!" Courtney shouted down then giggled. "Definitely not! I want them to go in! Stay there and cut off their escape!"

"What's inside?" Leaf asked, suddenly calmer as fear gripped her.

"Destiny. Fate. Love. Hate," Courtney replied and winked again. She held out a hand to beckon them inside.

"Ready?" Leaf asked Blue and Ethan and expected Blue's usual cocky reply.

"Let's see what awaits us," Ethan said and Leaf turned to Blue and saw tears in his eyes.

"No," he said. A thousand thoughts of what could be inside raced through Leaf's head. Was it Silver? Was it a trap? Was it Erik? What could it be? She pushed open the door.

Light trickled into the room from a large window at the far end which overlooked Saffron City. A marble table filled almost the entirety of the room and was topped by empty crystal wine glasses and champagne flutes. Expensive leather chairs sat empty at the side of the marble and paintings of Giovanni, of Team Rocket and of Archer hung along the two walls which flanked the room's sides. But it was the figure which loomed at the far end of the room, caked in light which swam in through the glass where the man stood, that the Resistance had come to see.

"No," Leaf gasped. "It can't be. Not you."

"Hello," he spoke with a calm voice. His dark eyes judged all three of them then fixed on Blue who now had a lone tear rolling down his cheek. "So you know?" he asked Blue.

"I know," Blue squeaked. "I know that wasn't you. It was Sakaki, your twin brother."

"I've waited so long for this," the man replied and smiled towards Blue. Leaf had seen the man's fake smile so many times on television but this was different, this smile was genuine. Courtney slammed the door shut behind them and left the trio alone with the man who held out a hand towards Blue. She had left them alone with Giovanni. But it wasn't just the fact that he was still alive and the man who had been poisoned was his twin brother, Sakaki. It was the final part of Wally's last words which caused shockwaves to scream through her because of what Blue and Giovanni said next. "Welcome home, Kai," Giovanni said to Blue.

"Kai?" Leaf thought and left the word unspoken. She had no idea what the name meant but it was Blue's reply which caused the hairs on her neck to stand on end, her heart to stop and her lungs to close up. Just two words changed everything, the world and what she knew. What it meant and what was going to happen. She turned to Blue and heard him say it.

"Hello father."


	16. Past and Present

**Chapter Fifteen - Past and Present**

He stood alongside his best friend and battle partner at the cave's mouth and watched a metal door slam shut at the gaping entrance, securely covering it whole. A city overlooked the river behind them and it's hubbub filled the air alongside a gentle breeze which rippled the water's surface.

"Ready?" his friend said. He was a tall man with a stern face and jet black hair and for once was not wearing a lab coat, but a white shirt flecked with dirt and grime. It had been a tough fight.

"We did it, Samuel," he said in astonishment. "We saved Kanto."

"Then we must make sure this never happens again. We seal the cave."

"You sure it will hold? The metal door, I mean?"

"It must. With the power of technology and the three legendary Pokemon. It must."

He watched Samuel place three large feathers into three slots in the metal door, one yellow trimmed with black, one an icy blue and the other a flame orange. The slots turned from vertical to horizontal like a lock when the feather was first entered, and then consumed by the door.

"So the feathers are the keys?" he asked Samuel.

"Indeed they are. To open this door again a person will need a feather from the three legendary birds, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres."

"We need to be sure no one will ever obtain those feathers."

"We do, my friend. But we are the two greatest trainers in this land and we shall protect this cave until the day we die. Together."

"Thank you, father." he responded to his future father-in-law, Professor Samuel Oak.

"No need for courtesies, especially when you haven't even married my daughter Aria yet," Oak said then chuckled.

"Soon," he promised.

"You said you'd propose when this was all over," Oak said sternly. "Don't put this off, my friend." He chuckled again.

"I'm not!" he said defensively.

"The great Giovanni getting nervous," Oak jested with him.

"What happened to Lyra," Giovanni said to quickly change the subject. "She controlled the beast in there, or at least directed its power."

"Disappeared," Oak mumbled as if he didn't care about her. "She doesn't matter. What matters is that creature is inside this cave now."

"And Lord Raven has been brought to justice," Giovanni said and smiled. His manufactured super weapon safety contained within the cave. Lord Raven ruled both Kanto and Johto as the Raven family had done for over a hundred years, but the current head of their family had a lust of control and power and the regime had become more corrupt with every passing day.

"So," Oak began and paused for a moment to stare at the sturdy metal door. "How did it even get to this stage?"

"Raven had been trying to manufacture a super weapon for a long time now." Giovanni knew the answer from intelligence reports gathered from their own small resistance force. "Splicing together Pokemon and alien stones and trying to combine all the most powerful objects and creatures known to man until he had created this being. This, 'Mewtwo'." Oak continued

"And with Mewtwo he had vanquished anyone who opposed his tyrannical rulership of Kanto and Johto."

"Until we stopped him," Giovanni said proudly. "You and I. Vanquishers of tyranny and evil."

"And my daughter. Our little intelligence gatherer that you have so conveniently fallen in love with." Oak said and Giovanni felt himself blush at the comment.

"So what now?" Giovanni attempted to change the subject once more.

"You propose. As much as I value you, you do not leave my daughter waiting."

"Alright, alright," Giovanni said then laughed. "Now Kanto is at peace and Lord Raven expelled from our region and the corruption gone with him, I suppose it's time."

* * *

Moonlight illuminated the room as its rays slithered through the enormous glass pane which overlooked a lamplit Saffron City. Tears clouded the eyes of Blue's pale white face as his father's smile beamed at him from the other end of the marble table. Ethan stood in a puzzled silence, unable to contemplate the enormity of the situation whilst Leaf stood in shock when she had previously been glaring at Giovanni.

"Did you say, Lyra?" Leaf asked.

"That was twenty-five years ago now," Giovanni said after finishing his tale and ignored Leaf.

"You're the devil. You and Oak. You sealed Him away but you have told us His name," Ethan cut in.

It made sense to Leaf now. The Servants hunted their three 'Angels', Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres, for their feathers to use as keys to unleash their Lord, Mewtwo, upon the region once more. Lyra had been Lord Raven's ally and now looked to release their super weapon one final time.

"So you and my mother married," Blue was next to speak. "And had Daisy and me."

"Correct, Okaido," Giovanni replied.

"So why did Gramps take me and Daisy away from you. Why has he never mentioned this? I had to find out from your brother, Sakaki. Why?" Blue was clearly angry and his emotions were causing his body to tremble viciously.

"You cleared a region of corruption and tyranny," Leaf said. "Then became corrupt and tyrannical yourself. Why?"

"So many questions. So little time," Giovanni responded, talking to all three of them.

"Yes and none of this matters," Leaf snapped. "All that matters is we take you down like you did to Lord Raven many years ago. And you don't have a super weapon."

"Oh but I do," Giovanni replied. "But it's not yet ready. Our Project Union is more powerful than Mewtwo and I will die before it's stopped."

"What's Project Union?" Leaf asked but once more an important question was cut out by one of Ethan or Blue.

"You know where the last Angel, Moltres, is don't you?" Ethan said.

"You've been helping me through this tournament all along, haven't you?" Blue asked.

"Always, Okaido," Giovanni chose to answer his son. "You have always been my favourite, my chosen heir. My grunts drained the pools in Cerulean to help you beat Misty. You've been handed easier matchups throughout the tournament and I've made sure you haven't faced Leaf incase you allow her to beat you."

"So everything I've done," Blue whimpered. "Isn't down to me at all."

"My son," Giovanni said softly. "Take your rightful place at my side and join me. Become my heir and see through Project Union. You shall rule this world after I die. That is my gift to you and I hope it makes up for all the suffering I have caused you, Okaido."

"My name is Blue!" he snapped.

"Oak refused to allow you to be called Okaido after Aria's death," Giovanni said and Leaf saw the pain in his face when he spoke of Aria. "He refused to allow you to keep any part of you that came from me. So he called you Blue. That's why I named my two other sons as Silver and Grey."

"Grey?" Leaf said, remembering one of the Rocket members who perished to Courtney in the room below.

"The most worthless of the two," came the cold reply. "Silver has plenty of potential. But is too rash and angry."

"I will join you," Blue said to Leaf's surprise. "On two conditions."

"Name them."

"Firstly you disband Team Rocket and we leave Kanto-"

"No," Giovanni said firmly before Blue could finish.

"Secondly," Blue carried on regardless. "Release Erik and let him live freely. Same goes with Leaf, let her live freely."

"No," Giovanni said again.

"Where is Erik?" Leaf growled.

"In our final base of operations with Silver."

"Where's that?" she pressed.

"I see we cannot reach a deal," Giovanni ignored her and spoke to Blue.

"I've kept quiet for too long," Ethan said and all of a sudden fighting started again from the floors below. "She's here."

"Your Servants's leader," Giovanni said matter of factly.

"Yes and she shall destroy you unless you give us the location of the last Angel."

"You do realise what will happen if you obtain three feathers and release Mewtwo?" Giovanni said.

"We do. And in the years since you sealed him our leader has been developing a Megastone for Him."

"You fools," Giovanni snapped then thought for a moment. "But Mewtwo will fall to Project Union, even with enhanced powers."

"What is Project Union?" Leaf demanded but was ignored by Giovanni and Ethan.

"We offer you a deal," Ethan spoke to the Team Rocket boss. "Your life and guaranteed safe passage out of the building for the location of the last Angel, Moltres."

"Don't!" Leaf shouted to Ethan and Blue echoed her pleas with a "No".

"Cinnabar Island," Giovanni said instantly. "In the volcano there."

"Come with me," Ethan said to him. "I'll lead you safely out."

"You can't!" Leaf pleaded but Ethan simply shoved her aside. Giovanni smiled at the shaking Blue as he left the room.

"What now?" Leaf asked her friend.

"I don't know," Blue replied. "I don't even know who I am anymore."

"You're Blue Oak," Leaf said fiercely. "A Resistance fighter and one of the best trainers I've ever known."

"I'm going to see Gramps," Blue decided. "And find out the truth. Of everything."

"And I must stop the Servants. If they plan to unleash this ultimate weapon, I must stop them getting the final feather. But what about Giovanni?"

"What about him?"

"Project Union?!" Leaf raised her voice. "Team Rocket?! Archer? Erik-"

"Okay, okay," Blue stopped her. "I get it. So what you gonna do?"

"The most immediate threat is the Servants getting that last feather," Leaf said. "So I will go to Cinnabar Island and stop them."

"By yourself?"

"By myself."

* * *

"So the Servants have switched from allies to enemies," Blue muttered to himself as he stormed towards the large building which was the hamlet's centrepiece. "Giovanni, my father, is still at large and despite us lot taking down Rocket's chief base of operations, they're still as dangerous and powerful as ever." Blue stopped before the doorway and took a deep breath to collect his thoughts before he charged into the building. "And all I care about is myself right now," he said then sighed. "I don't even know what to call myself. Blue, Kai, Okaido? I don't know." He pushed open the door and the sight of the two people who stood at the far end of the laboratory filled him with resentment.

"Blue!" the first said, a young female. "You've come home!"

"It's Okaido," he said fiercely and looked to the elderly man next to her. "Isn't that right, Gramps?" he said to Professor Oak and saw his sister, Daisy, taken aback at his fury.

"You've encountered your father then, at long last." Oak nodded then closed his eyes thoughtfully.

"He was going to tell you when you were ready," Daisy spoke for her grandfather.

"So you knew too?!" Okaido questioned his sister.

"For about a month now, yes. Grandfather decided that I was ready to know but wanted to wait until after you'd finished your war with Team Rocket to say."

"Why?" he spoke to Professor Oak.

"Because I feared you may wish to reunite with Giovanni."

"You have that little faith in me?"

"No. I have too much respect for Giovanni's persuasiveness and charisma."

"Little brother," Daisy interrupted them. "Please understand."

"How can you understand?! How can Giovanni be our father. I was told a little while ago but I didn't truly believe it until I met him for real. Why would our mother be with such a man? Why would you be best friends with him?!" he said with a pointed finger at his grandfather.

"Because the man he was isn't the man he now is," Oak replied. "Allow me to explain," he said in response to his grandson's confused expression. "Giovanni and I took down a tyrannical ruler of Kanto named Lord Raven twenty-five years ago as we battled against a Pokemon named Mewtwo, a superweapon controlled in battle by his greatest trainer and most trusted lieutenant, Lyra."

"I've heard all this before," Okaido snapped.

"We were the greatest of friends," Oak continued. "Despite me being a few years the elder. We were such good friends in fact, that I allowed the marriage of himself to my daughter, your mother, Aria Oak. The two had fallen in love unbeknownst to myself at first. You should've seen the look on their faces when I revealed I knew of their love for one another," he said then chuckled. "They married shortly after we vanquished Mewtwo and sealed the creature inside Cerulean Cave. The union between Giovanni and Aria lasted eight years and bore two children but the now Team Rocket boss made a fatal mistake. He had a secret affair with a woman known as Courtney and Aria eventually found out because a child had been born of this affair. Silver.."

"How could he?" Okaido growled.

"He was weak willed back then. He let his lack of control and his desires lead him. When Aria found out she couldn't take it, your mother was always a fragile thing, constantly plagued by poor health and illness and once she discovered the affair then the trauma, stress and heartbreak led to her becoming extremely unwell."

"So Giovanni killed her," Okaido said.

"In a way, yes. She failed to overcome the illness and eventually passed away and all that is left of my daughter are the two of you."

"I never understood what happened after that," Daisy said. "Did you take us away from Giovanni as punishment?"

"I took you away from him because the death of his wife lead him off the rails. He vowed never to allow a lack of control and his weakness to affect him ever again. He became obsessed with power, control and dominance. By this time he had become the second most powerful trainer in the region after myself and the best politician. He founded a secret criminal organisation known as Team Rocket and set up casinos and more to launder money and make himself rich. His twin brother, Sakaki, would provide cover for him out in the open whilst he managed all the dark underground activity to rise through the ranks of the government system with hordes of money where he would eventually install Archer, a close friend and trusted ally of his, to power."

"Why not Sakaki?" Daisy asked.

"Because he never fully trusted his twin brother. He wanted him kept under his control, and making Sakaki the governor of Kanto would hand his twin too much power."

"Paranoia," Daisy said.

"An unnecessary paranoia, his brother had always been faithful."

"What happened with us," Okaido asked. "And Courtney?"

"I took you and renamed you Blue," Oak said. "I had already gotten attached to the name of Daisy but you were still so young, Okaido, so young that your very name reminded me of what happened to your mother," he said wistfully and Blue saw the pain in his eyes. "Giovanni and I struck an agreement. I could take and raise the two of you and you'd both never have to see him, if only I stay clear of his ambitions. He saw me as the only person powerful enough to stop him and I was too broken from the death of my daughter to refuse.

"I'm sorry," Okaido blurted before it all had become too much for him. The revelation of his parents, how helpless he suddenly felt and the foreboding feeling of loneliness that swamped him. He burst into tears. Daisy swiftly followed him as tears streamed down her face.

"No, it is I who should be sorry," Oak comforted the two of them and embraced each of his grandchildren in either arm. Okaido could feel his grandfather trembling but it wasn't through sadness. "How could I allow you two to reach this state. I've sat on the sidelines and allowed my grandchildren to suffer. I refuse to do so anymore. Now there is nothing keeping me from helping the Resistance fully. Now I will do what I should've done so many years ago and destroy Giovanni with my grandchildren at my side."

The ancient winged Pokemon soared through the skies above the ominous island and screeched a high pitched scream from above Leaf. Its gaping mouth showed her a set of sharp teeth along the lower jaw and its long, arrow-headed tail slithered and writhed behind it.

"Incredible," she whispered as the Aerodactyl landed and allowed his trainer to run her hand along his ridged spine. "But I'm afraid you're going to have to go into storage now." She already had a full team of six: Dino, Belly, Club, Stomp, Heiko and Loch so the newest addition to her team, Saur, would have to join the sole Pokemon she had in storage, a Venomoth named Venom.

Saur looked disappointed after having waited possibly hundreds or maybe even thousands of years to be bought to life. Leaf had arrived upon Cinnabar Island, a quaint and small section of land detached from mainland Kanto that lay to the south. The island lay home to a former Gym and a few homes but it was the history of the place which shrouded over the land like a curse. It was covered in sand from top to bottom aside from the enormous volcano which lay to its northeastern tip.

Cinnabar Island was Lord Raven's former refuge and the home of all his experiments, failed or otherwise. Leaf stood at the island's south where a large Pokemon laboratory and research facility made its home. In the past, Lord Raven had used the complex to perform all sorts of experiments on Pokemon but nowadays the lab had a friendlier purpose; to resurrect fossils of ancient Pokemon and bring them back to life. Which is why Leaf had visited the complex in the first place and used the old amber she had received from Miguel in Mt. Moon which now seemed so long ago. The fossil he had given her had birthed Saur from the advanced machine the scientists used within. The laboratory had other uses, such as a healing centre for injured Pokemon and a training facility and Pokemon nursery, but Leaf had no interest in those.

The island had two other places of note and she ventured to one of those now, the Pokemon Mansion. Her main purpose for coming to the island was to stop the Servants from finding their last Angel but the lure of the laboratory had proved too strong. Now she had finished her business within, the hunt was on and she had seen no sight nor heard no sound of the fanatical group since her arrival. Giovanni had mentioned the volcano, but Leaf thought to check the mansion first because of its dreadful history.

"You don't wanna go in there young'un," an elderly gentlemen said to her as she approached the building. The mansion was a burnt skeleton full of collapsed brick and charred wood and the citizens of Cinnabar avoided the ruin as if the fires that destroyed it still burned.

"Why do you take such care in avoiding it?" she asked the man. She noticed that each person that walked the sands of the island took an extremely wide berth of the mansion which sat directly in Cinnabar's centre.

"Respect for the ghosts of the past," he said. He was a bright man with a thick white moustache and wore a same colour bowler hat. Despite the waning sunlight he still wore sunglasses and walked with a cane. Leaf recognised him as the former Gym leader of the island, Blaine. A man which Okaido had knocked out of the Pokemon Tournament.

"It's haunted?" Leaf asked, thinking of ghost type Pokemon which may lurk within the building's skeletal remains.

"Not physically, but metaphorically," Blaine replied. "This is where Lord Raven's greatest weapon was conducted. Where Mewtwo was birthed and where its Megastone was later created."

"Mewtwo did this?" she asked, pointing at the ruin.

"Raven's greatest scientists created the monster within the mansion and then tried to control it. In response to their efforts, the beast known as Mewtwo used psychic powers to not just kill his creators, but torture their minds and souls with visions as some sort of sadistic punishment for bringing him into this world."

"Why?"

"Because Mewtwo was an abomination that never should have happened. You try to play God over nature and it's only going to end badly."

"Do you guard this place?" she asked of him, remembering that the instant she approached the mansion he had walked over to stop her.

"In a way," he replied. "Something is happening as if the mistakes of the past were never learned and will only be repeated again."

"What do you mean?"

"I mentioned a Megastone being created for Mewtwo. As if having a superweapon wasn't enough, as if the Pokemon wasn't out of control as it was. Someone has tried to make the ultimate evil have godlike powers."

"Who?"

"I tried to stop her some time ago, but she just shoved me aside and entered the ruins despite the ghosts."

"Who?" Leaf repeated.

"There's only two people so stupid. Maybe three if you count Courtney but Giovanni has her on a tight leash," Blaine repeated, showing he had advanced knowledge of the happenings within Kanto. "And Lord Raven wouldn't have dared entered Kanto at the time."

"So that leaves?" Leaf said patiently.

"Lord Raven's lackey and his greatest trainer. Lyra."

"No," Leaf gasped and a loud explosion emanated from the volcano and rocked the entire island. The Servants were within, and were battling with the last Angel to retrieve its feather and then release Mewtwo back into the world, powered up by a Megastone. It would be unstoppable. But that's not why Leaf stood trembling with a face as pale as snow. It was because Lyra was leading the Servants and would be her greatest opponent now, maybe even greater than Giovanni. And Lyra was the name of her mother.


	17. The Last Angel

**Chapter Sixteen - The Last Angel**

A silver robe covered her, shrouding her face. She floated above the volcano atop her Pidgeot and stared down upon the chaos of battle which took place on the rim of the volcano's mouth.

"Lyra," Leaf said, her voice like a hiss at the woman on her who hovered above the chaos on her Pidgeot. A shrill cry of pain distracted Leaf from the glare of resentment she held on her mother. The Moltres had been wounded by a large rock thrown by Ethan's Golem and the Servant's cheered as feathers rained from the sky towards them. They'd only need one to open Cerulean Cave, and the legendary Pokemon with yellow feathers tipped by fire and a long slender body with an enormous thin beak had just spilled dozens of the objects.

Leaf rushed up the side of the volcano. It was steep and the stone ground crumbled in places as she climbed whilst a foreboding feeling swept her. She knew she was too late.

"Leaf!" Ethan called down, having noticed her climbing the mountain side. "Just in time."

A swarm of Servants stood with and around him, circling the opening of the volcano where the Moltres flew above, the awe-inspiring creature seemingly guarded the landmark. There must have been the entirety of the Servant's members present.

Leaf ignored Ethan's calls and was still unsure as to her plan of action once she had reached the summit. If she just released her Pokemon to battle the entire army of Servants she'd surely be defeated and there was no way of talking them down. She could try to steal the feather and fly away but it would be tightly guarded and Lyra's Pidgeot would catch her. As she ascended higher she could think of no other way. She'd have to improvise once she had reached the Servants and Ethan.

The Moltres screeched a painful cry of desperation and twirled its slender frame to avoid a rock then blasted flame from its mouth towards a Golbat used by a Servant. The legendary Pokemon fought powerfully and admirably but was slowly being overwhelmed by the weight of sheer numbers.

Leaf knew of the so-called "legendary" Pokemon. They were creatures who could not be caught in any conventional way as they'd escape from Pokeballs with ease but instead had to be tamed, like dragon-type Pokemon. To tame one, a trainer would have to earn their respect by impressing the legendary, or dragon type, with the bonds between their Pokemon, prowess in battle and the strength of their mind and soul. To tame a dragon was difficult, but to tame a legendary was said to be almost impossible.

"Wait!" Leaf shouted towards the Servants who ignored her calls. "You've got the feathers, why are you still attacking it?!" There were only a handful of legendary Pokemon in existence and if the Servants had obtained two feather's from both Articuno and Zapdos, then those Pokemon must have also then been defeated by the group. Leaving even fewer legendaries still alive.

"The Angels must fall so we can release Him!" a Servant said in reply to her.

All of a sudden, Lyra screamed. Then the Servants entered a mass panic, unsure of what to do. Leaf herself froze and considered what was about to happen, because Ethan had pulled an empty Megastone from his pocket. Leaf considered whether a Megastone would work on a legendary, but seeing how Lyra had crafted one using the alien rock and whatever else specifically for Mewtwo then the Servant's leader could have made at least one more.

"What are you doing?!" Lyra screamed to Ethan. "We need-" she began, then she noticed her daughter. Leaf met her mother's gaze and scowled before charging at Ethan in an attempt to stop him whilst Servants stood motionless around the Volcano, still unsure what action they should take.

Once again, Leaf was too late. Ethan had hopped upon one of the Servant's Pidgeotto and flew towards the legendary beast before leaping onto the Moltres and pressing the Megastone onto its back.

"With this Mega I shall have my revenge upon Rocket for destroying my hometown!" he called as a dark shroud engulfed the Moltres who screeched in pure agony as the process of Mega-evolution took hold.

"We planned to do this together with Mewtwo!" Lyra called but received no reply, so she steered her Pidgeot downwards.

Leaf watched in frozen horror as the black mist dissipated from around the Moltres.

Ethan appeared lifeless from his short time in the shroud and tumbled from the legendary Pokemon's back to plummet into the volcano. A chilling screech sounded from the Mega-Moltres who was now at almost twice the size of a man with crimson eyes and claws like knives protruding from its feet. Instead of a beautiful orange flame kindling at the tips of its feathers, the fires had now turned black and its feathers a much paler shade of yellow.

The beast swatted aside swarms of Golbats and Pidgeotto as if they were harmless insects whereas previously the plethora of Servant owned Pokemon had caused it significant harm. Mega-Moltres then burst out blue flames towards Ethan's Golem who was incinerated by the fire. Leaf moved her hand towards her belt but squealed in surprise as she was grabbed and lifted from her feet. She found herself soaring upwards and being dragged up into the air to look down at the volcano and the massacre occuring on the rim of its open mouth. She then felt a hand grab her and began to hoist her upwards until she was on the back of a Pidgeot and alongside her mother, Lyra.

"What have you done?" Leaf said, her voice weak and strained.

"This wasn't the plan," Lyra replied, her face anxious.

"The plan was to mega-evolve a powerful Pokemon," Leaf accused her. "Mewtwo or Moltres, the result is the same."

"Servants!" Lyra bellowed, ignoring her daughter. "Lead your Pokemon down into the volcano," she cried as the Mega-Moltres turned to face both herself and Leaf.

"It's going to attack us," Leaf said and felt fear pulsing through her whilst all the Servant's Pokemon entered the volcano and disappeared within, pelting the Mega-Moltres with ineffectual attacks as they descended into the dark depths. Despite these forlorn strikes against the legendary Pokemon being little more than an annoyance to the Mega-Moltres, the beast fell for Lyra's cunning ploy and swooped down within the volcano where the pits of lava lay.

"Close your eyes," Lyra said to Leaf. "You shouldn't see this."

"See what?" Leaf said, confused as to Lyra's plan.

"Cinnabar Island was where it all began," her mother replied. "And where many lives now end."

"What?" Leaf said and heard the explosion at first. A world-shaking sound which signalled the start of a scene more terrible than Leaf had ever seen. A Mega-evolved Pokemon may be strong, almost indomitable, but loses the part of it which makes it a living being. The survival instinct and intelligence of a creature which seeks more than power and dominance. Lyra was an expert in the area and Leaf guessed that her mother would know that a Mega would seek out the most powerful foe it could in order to dominate or destroy it and seeing a horde of Pokemon grouped together in a volcano was a temptation it couldn't resist. But the creature was so powerful that once it unleashed its unstoppable blue flames combined with the pits full of lava, it would blow the volcano.

Leaf watched in horror as shards of rock shattered across the island and crushed homes. She watched the lava pour from the volcanic ruins and smear the island and its inhabitants in ruin whilst smoke choked the life from the land. The cataclysmic devastation that Lyra and Ethan had unleashed was more than enough to destroy the Mega-Moltres within its destructive grasp. But it was at the cost of Cinnabar Island and all her Servants and their Pokemon. And Lyra seemed not in the least bit concerned.

"They've all served their purpose," Lyra said coldly, holding three feathers and an empty Megastone in her hands. Leaf was too shocked to answer.

* * *

"I saved you because you are my daughter," Lyra said once her Pidgeot had landed in Cerulean City. The cave where Mewtwo was held lay within eyesight. "But that is my last favour to you. I recommend that you now leave Kanto or you fall to my Mewtwo. Either way, the choice is yours." She turned to walk away from Leaf and undressed from her silver robe to unveil a skin hugging black dress.

"How," Leaf spoke for the first time since the explosion which Cinnabar Island had perished under. "How could you?"

"Because, my naive little daughter, Team Rocket destroyed me and this is my way of returning the act."

"All those people-"

"Are necessary sacrifices."

"You've lost your mind," Leaf said and felt her body tremble with fury. "But you were never religious? Why? How can you-"

"You were always so slow to catch on," Lyra interrupted her. "I could never hope to get the three feathers, hold off Rocket, damage Giovanni's operations, unleash Mewtwo and defeat three legendary Pokemon by myself. Especially as I was exiled from Kanto. So I found people who had had their lives destroyed by Giovanni and Team Rocket and gave them a new hope, a religious hope. They believed they were exacting their revenge on Team Rocket whilst striving towards a better life. They were hopeless and desperate and I gave them back that hope along with a purpose."

"It can't have been that easy to persuade all those people," Leaf said, surprised.

"But it was. So many of Kanto's population are oppressed and even more in Johto now Rocket armies moved into there. Like Ethan for example, Team Rocket burned down his home."

"But people believe that Rocket and the government are separate, don't they?"

"Not all. Especially when I provide them with undisputable evidence."

"Is this your Lord Raven's plan? Did you free him from Rocket's prison?"

"No," Lyra said quickly. Leaf gulped and felt her stomach sink, somehow she believed her. "This is my revenge. Giovanni destroyed me, now I destroy him."

"You used me too," Leaf realised. "And my friends. You used the Resistance to further your goals."

"I did the same to you as I did with the Servants. Used your hatred of Team Rocket for my own gains. Now you see why so many people so easily followed my made up religion."

Leaf wanted to stop her mother. She wanted to strike her or unleash her Pokemon upon her. But her body refused to listen to her commands. She trembled as the shock of Cinnabar's demise paralysed her movements. "Please," she managed to say. "Don't unleash Mewtwo."

Her mother laughed at that. "Why not?"

"For me," Leaf begged. "Please. We are so close to stopping Rocket."

"No you're not," Lyra snapped. "And without mine and Ethan's help you're even further away."

"Please," she begged then an idea came to her. "Give me time. You have everything you need now. Just give me time even if it's to escape Kanto. Let me try and stop Rocket and save my friends who are held captive. And if I can't then let me get myself and my friends out of Kanto."

Her mother looked at her for a second and for that small moment Leaf thought she saw some humanity in those dark eyes. "Fine," she said. "You have until tomorrow night. But I'm unleashing Mewtwo no matter what. These two days are for you to rescue your captive friends and escape Kanto."

"Why?" was the only word Leaf could manage to say.

"Because I love you," her mother said softly to Leaf's surprise. "Now get out of here."

Leaf turned to walk away, to where she had not the slightest clue. She looked at her PokeNav and the time showed 14:09. Then when all hope had been lost a shining beacon pierced through the fog of her desolation in the form of a phone call from Okaido Oak.

"Leaf," he said with a voice strained by sorrow. "I know where he is."

* * *

Medical instruments lay upon a table which was swathed in dim light. Enormous containers like giant test tubes which contained Pokemon held in stasis took up the furthest part of the room along with a plethora of machines which hummed quietly.  
Silver use cleaning solution to spray a spot of dirt upon one of the pearl-white machines which only added to the smell of bleach which lingered within the room, which was more of a makeshift laboratory. A laboratory used to house the man who sat tied to a chair and had been subjected to yet more experimentation at the behest of Silver's father, Giovanni. Silver himself didn't administer the so called 'surgery', but was left to oversee the room and 'keep it clean'. By that his father had meant to keep the subject in good health but Silver instead had played ignorant. He wanted no part in his father's "Project Union" so instead he cleaned the room and kept the patient's sanity by treating them as if they were still human.

"Still silent?" Silver said to the patient who hadn't spoken in weeks. Not since he had delivered that soul crushing news which had turned the subject from indomitably defiant to hopeless and willing.

Silver moved over to the subject who had tubes connecting his veins to the machines like wires and crouched down slightly so his eyes were at a level with his. He studied the young man's face. The silent subject's once blue eyes were now rimmed in shadow and almost red in colour, full of rage and darkness. The effect of combining a human with the power of a Megastone along with trying to give him the abilities possessed only by Pokemon. This was Giovanni's "Project Union", his masterplan he kept so quiet from everyone apart from himself, his son and the man who applied the experiments, Bill.

Bill had been useful to Silver before in a ploy to gain the Resistance's trust but was another who had been broken by Giovanni so that the Team Rocket boss could usher his control over the scientific genius. It also allowed Team Rocket access to Storage, which was why they could obtain so many Pokemon so quickly. Rocket left the Resistance's held Pokemon alone however, so that Leaf and her friends wouldn't catch on and attempt to take back Storage.

"I released Lord Raven," Silver revealed to the patient. He had spilled his thoughts to the silent subject over time knowing that the man hated Giovanni possibly even more than he did. "I wanted to prove it could be done. I wanted to show myself that I'm capable of rebelling against my father." The subject locked eyes with Silver for a moment then looked swiftly away. He was a defeated man but full of rage and Silver feared him more than even his own father. The patient wasn't only incredibly powerful after being subjected to Project Union, he had a burning hatred for anything and everything related to Giovanni.

"Look," Silver said. "I can't do this anymore. Especially now that my father has reunited with Okaido, his favourite son. I'll be cast out and left for dead." The man looked at him once more but showed no signs of comprehension. "You may know Okaido as Blue Oak," Silver said to help his thoughts. The man nodded simply then lowered his head once more.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop them," Silver blurted. "He was a good kid," he said, referring to the incident which broke the patient. "I tried, I swear. But my father planned it all. He wanted to break you and knew this was how to do so. You were his secret Project Union all along and the only way to achieve his goal was to plan the death of Wally."

The man looked at him at the mention of the name. Silver saw his eyes flicker with signs of hatred, disgust and even a little sadness.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop them, Erik," Silver said to him. "But to make amends, how about we strike a deal?" He spoke at length of his plan with Erik and when he stopped the broken man looked directly into his eyes, then nodded.

* * *

"Blue don't do-" Daisy began but Okaido had already dialled the number to his grandfather's Rocket contact at exactly 14:00.

"Hello," the man said at the other end of the line.

"Hello," Okaido replied. "It's Okaido Razzo."

"Giovanni said to expect this call," the man replied. "The name is Nigel, I operate the Test Centre." Okaido paused for a moment. So Giovanni had been so sure that he would join their side.

"I wish to join Team Rocket," Okaido said," and fulfill my father's legacy. I wish to join his side and be the heir to his empire, as is my right and desire as his eldest son."

"It is indeed!" Nigel boomed.

"I'm told we only have one base of operations left," Okaido said quickly. He was sweating nervously at the enormousness of his act. "So I'm guessing that's where my father will be?"

"Indeed!" Nigel boomed again.

"I guess my old friend Erik is being held there too," he said and laughed nervously.

"Right again!"

"So?" Okaido snapped, trying to imitate his father's distaste for someone not getting to the point of the matter. "Where am I to meet my father? Where is our final base of operation?"

"Why right here!" Nigel responded ecstatically.

"At the Test Centre?" Okaido gasped. "That's Rocket's base of operations? I thought it was just secretly owned by my father and used as a means of obtaining new Rocket recruits. Not used as a base?"

"As I tell my examinees," Nigel replied. "The most obvious answer is sometimes the correct one!"

Okaido slammed the phone down. After all this time, after all the searching and travelling the region to find where Erik was being held. He was where it had all began, in that Test Centre where he had initially been captured. Okaido rapidly dialled Leaf's number into his PokeNav. The pressure of the events that had recently transpired had tortured his soul and left him emotionally fragile. But now he was going to reunite with his father. The PokeNav clicked as the call connected.

"Leaf," he said with a voice strained by sorrow. "I know where he is."


	18. Where It All Began

**Chapter Seventeen - Where It All Began**

Charred and broken chips of wood entwined with the sharp shards of glass which blanketed the floor. Paintings hung loosely form the walls, most of which were either damaged or burnt beyond recognition. A glass table was smashed in two by a Tauros, which was a bull-like Pokemon but with even more muscle, three tails and a thick mane of hair around its neck. The beast had been aiming for a Team Rocket grunt but the low-level operative dived out of its path and joined his comrades in a mass retreat. They had been defeated and broken.

"Full retreat," a voice sounded on the tannoy. Giovanni's voice. "Abandon battlestations and initiate retreat protocol," he said in a voice still completely calm.

"I will be the one who holds off the Resistance's surge!" Nigel boomed. The hefty man with the enormous stomach stood at the edge of a corridor alongside his Pokemon: A Golem, a Golbat, an Onix, a Raichu, a Vileplume and a Ninetales.

"Just move out of our way," Samuel Oak demanded of the man. "Your own resistance is now a futile effort. Your compatriots have bolted and your boss has sounded a full withdrawal." Oak's Tauros lowered its head and began preparing for a charge whilst his Gyarados awaited any of Nigel's Pokemon to make their move. He had three other Pokemon who all remained close to the professor's side. The first of which was a Blastoise, a bulky blue Pokemon who had two arms and legs with a titanic shell affixed to his back like a impenetrable shield. The turtle-like Pokemon also had two sizable cannons sprouting from within the shell which were now pointed towards the Ninetales and ready to fire an indomitable spray of water towards his foe.

"Arcanine," Oak spoke to another one of his Pokemon, "get ready to flank at speed." The fire-type was an impressively rapid creature with an orange and black pelt with thick cream-coloured fur sprouting from its chest, legs, tail, neck and head. The Pokemon stood just taller than its trainer and showed sharp fangs towards his opponent. Oak's final Pokemon was the evolved form of Exeggcute, Exeggutor. The five eggs had combined into five different faces which went around the creature's head. The grass-type had thick leaves sprouting from its head which, combined with its pale-brown coloured body, gave Leaf the impression of a pineapple, or a palm tree, with two thick legs.

"My team," Leaf said to her Pokemon. "Flank left." She nodded to Okaido who instructed his own Gyarados and Exeggutor, as well as a Rhyhorn, his Charizard, Pidgeot and Kadabra to flank right.

Nigel bolted. The fat man almost wobbled as he tried to flee and left his Pokemon to guard his own exit. He didn't even turn around to see his Ninetales being annihilated by Loch and the two Gyarados's combined water cannons. Or his Vileplume being roasted by the Charizard and Arcanines' flamethrowers. Or his Golbat being swiped out of the sky by Pidgeot then charged by the Tauros. Despite Nigel having rounded the corner, the onslaught continued. Dino wrapped his vines around the Raichu for Club and Stomp to pound the captive creature. The Golem was devastated by psychic attacks from the two Exeggutors and Alakazam, and the Onix had been wrestled down by Belly then scorched by Heiko before being charged by Blue's Rhyhorn and finished off by a water cannon from Oak's Blastoise.

"Shall we proceed?" Samuel Oak asked his two comrades after the massacre.

"Let's do this," Okaido said nervously. Leaf smiled at him for reassurance but her attempts had no effect.

"Where will they be?" Leaf asked of her two counterparts but neither seemed to know a definitive answer.

The trio followed the corridor where Nigel and the grunts had fled and Leaf remembered that this was the corridor they had first taken when the Resistance had raided the Test Centre all those months ago.

"The battle arena?" Leaf said as they followed the pearl-white walls slick with paintings and doors. "That's where they're going?"

"A giant room ready to make their final stand," Samuel Oak said.

"Makes sense," Okaido agreed.

"How are you feeling?" Leaf asked of her friend. He had tricked Nigel into getting the information about the Test Centre and now appeared anxious as if what lay ahead may be too much for him to bear. When she had known him simply as Blue he had been so confident to the point of arrogance, but if the death of Wally had shaken him greatly then the revelation of his heritage had stripped his foolhardy persona to its core.

"Let's just get this over with," Okaido said uncertainly. They approached the door to the battle arena where students would be tested by the examiner, usually Nigel, to determine whether they were worthy of receiving a trainer's licence or not. The pass rate had plummeted over the years with the failing students thereafter being offered a chance at keeping their dream of possessing Pokemon alive by joining Team Rocket at the rank of 'grunt'.

"Ready?" Samuel Oak asked as he pressed a hand to the door, ready to push it open and face whatever awaited them inside.

"Always," Leaf and Okaido replied in unison. Oak pushed open the door.

Inside were two podiums at either end of an arena marked by white chalk in the shape of a Pokeball. The arena was lit up brightly whereas previously the room had always been dimly illuminated. Two doors lay at either end of the room and in front of the one to the Resistance's right stood Giovanni, Courtney and Silver with two high-level Rocket operatives on either side.

"Well come in," Giovanni beckoned to Leaf, Okaido and Oak who strolled to the centre of the room and re-released all their Pokemon. "Well come in!" Giovanni shouted this time and for a moment Leaf was confused as to why he had repeated himself. Then hordes of Rocket operatives swarmed the room from the door the trio had just used and the door on the far side of the room. Leaf counted at least thirty or more seemingly high-level Rocket members now in the room with the Resistance, Giovanni, Courtney and Silver.

The criminal operatives released a legion of Pokemon from Muk and Weezing to Golbat and Fearow to Raticate and more, all of which circled the Resistance from where Leaf and her allies stood helpless in the centre of the marked Pokeball. She tried to count the Pokemon which surrounded them but there were too many, well over one hundred. The Resistance had just seventeen fighters to combat the horde and that was if Okaido's precarious loyalty remained intact.

"So this is where the Resistance meets their end," Giovanni said and ascended the podium, his wife Courtney alongside him. Silver had clearly circled the room because he now stood on the other podium and looked intimidating with the mechanical mask still firmly affixed to his face.

"A trap?" Samuel Oak asked Giovanni. The Resistance trio had been sucked into the room because of the false retreat and now stood surrounded on all sides.

"A contingency, my old friend," Giovanni replied with a flicker of a smile. "I was unsure of my son's loyalty so had both a plan A and a plan B."

"Hello brother," Silver said welcomingly towards Okaido.

"Silence," Giovanni said sharply and glared at Silver for a split second before returning his calm gaze towards Okaido. "So you're not joining me after all? Maybe if I crush your little Leaf then you may reconsider? Or maybe your grandfather?"

"Shut up!" Okaido shouted. "Just stop. I will never join you."

"Never say never," Giovanni said coolly.

"Never!" Okaido snapped.

"Everyone has a breaking point," Giovanni said coldly then shocked Leaf with his next words. "Even Erik."

"Where is he?" Leaf demanded.

"Don't you interrupt," Courtney chimed. "I'm to get my revenge on you Leafy girl for defeating me in the tournament."

"Stand down," Oak pleaded to Giovanni. "No more violence, no more war. Let's discuss this as old friends."

"Are you begging?" Giovanni said with pride.

"No," Oak said. "This is too much, Giovanni. Too many have fallen now. Let us come to an agreement that suits both. No more Team Rocket and no more corruption. Let us work together to create a better world."

Giovanni laughed at that. "Old man," he said. "You are and were the only man I have ever respected enough to fear. But you're out of practice and surrounded. Even you cannot destroy me now." Courtney giggled hysterically at her husband's words.

"No," Samuel Oak conceded. "Even I cannot surmount these odds."

"But I can," Okaido cut in. "I will even if it means the end of me. I will take you down, father."

"Blue-" Oak began.

"My name is Okaido Razzo," he said passionately with eyes clouded by tears. "And my family created the mess our world now finds itself in. My friends have fallen and been broken and whatever else because of my family. It's my responsibility to do what is right, and what is right is to bring down my father's legacy."

"You are my legacy," Giovanni said. "Project Union is my legacy. I am just a pawn in my own game and so is Team Rocket," he said to Leaf's puzzlement, especially as the room was filled with Team Rocket operatives but they just looked to be in a brainwashed bliss.

"Enough!" Oak roared, the authority of his shout sending shockwaves through everyone in the room. "Enough of this manipulation. If you aren't willing to solve this peacefully then myself, my grandson and Leaf have but one option left. War." Leaf tensed at his words and met eyes with each and every one of her Pokemon. She would lose a few, possibly all of them if they were to fight but the war would end here and now.

"We have no chance," Leaf whispered to Okaido.

"We always have a chance," he said and grinned in reply. She looked around the room and saw the hopelessness of their situation. She wanted to withdraw her Pokemon and run but her friends would never forgive her. She would never forgive herself. She had fought her way out of tough fights before, even won them, but this was a different proposition altogether. There was no way they could win this fight and she knew that deep down Okaido knew this too.

"You don't have much of a chance," Giovanni said to Oak. "This is my final offer. Surrender to me. I'll even let you go free Samuel, but Leaf must stay as my prisoner. I don't trust her to lay down arms. She will be well treated but kept under close guard and her Pokemon taken from her. My son will also join Team Rocket as my heir. Those are my terms."

"Okaido," Samuel Oak said to his grandson. "I leave the choice in your hands. I trust you entirely and before you make your decision then please know this. Whatever decision you make, it would be impossible for me to be more proud of you."

"And me," Leaf added. "You never had to help Erik, Wally and I, but no matter what you've always been there for us. Whatever decision you make, my friend, we'll always be in this together. Thank you for everything."

Okaido looked from his grandfather, to Leaf, to Giovanni and then down to the floor as tears rolled down his face. "I'll never let you down," he said softly, so weakly that only Leaf and Samuel Oak could hear him. "And I'll never stop fighting." He lifted his head and locked eyes with his father, Giovanni. "We," he said louder to correct himself. "We will never stop fighting."

And so the battle to decide the war began.

Giovanni, Courtney and Silver held back from using their own Pokemon at first and allowed their grunts to engage with the resistance. Leaf noted that Giovanni was instructing his grunts to wound rather than defeat Okaido's Pokemon, but Oak and Leaf's own warriors were fair game.

A Golbat moved first, swooping down to attack the Resistance Pokemon and was instantly batted down by one of Dino's vines then incinerated by a flamethrower from Heiko. Another Golbat followed, then another, then chaos. A Crobat, which was the evolved form of Golbat and more agile and vicious with four wings instead of two, set upon Club alongside a swarm of Golbat which it led. The Marowak swatted aside the winged creatures against feral bites and wing attacks but struggled under the sheer numbers of opponents. Stomp had moved to assist but the Nidoking had been caught up alongside Belly as herds of Raticate leapt at the duo, snapping their jaws. Muk remained at the back and launched toxic sludge towards Leaf's Pokemon, mainly Dino and Loch who had hung back with the former whipping out vines at any foes that approached his trainer and the latter spraying beams of ice and water towards the Golbat who had surrounded Club.

Leaf turned to watch Heiko dart between a group of Arboks who had clung together and swiped their poisonous fangs towards the Flareon. Wally's former Pokemon then spun back and launched spits of fire towards the snakes before having to dodge venomous bile and smog thrown at him by more Arboks and Weezing.

Club had managed to fight her way out of his bat-barricade with the assistance of Stomp who now fought off yet more Raticate and some Golbats whilst the Marowak focused on their leader, Crobat. Leaf watched him spin his bone club and strike at the speedy Rocket Pokemon who simply swerved out of the way and lashed out with a wing so tough it seemed to be made of steel. The steel wing crashed into Club and sent her sprawling across the floor where the Crobat honed in on his victim like a homing missle, only to be diverted off course when Dino whipped him with a vine. The bat sneered towards Leaf's Venusaur before being caught in midair by Stomp who slammed the Crobat down to the ground and stamped on it, crushing the Rocket Pokemon underneath his considerable weight.

The Nidoking had saved the day. But in doing so had taken his eye from a gathering of Weezing who now floated towards him. Stomp looked around and gasped in horror before the three poison-types exploded, sacrificing their own lives to defeat the Nidoking.  
Leaf felt the agony of losing a Pokemon tear through her but before she had time to grieve she noticed Heiko and Club once again being surrounded as they flanked Belly and threatened to steal the life of another one of her friends in quick succession. The Snorlax eagerly fought off Golbat after Golbat and Raticate after Raticate who all pounced or hovered near his hefty frame, using fists and headbutts to knock back and defeat his foes.

"Enough!" Giovanni roared to render the room to silence. Leaf had wondered why the Team Rocket boss had called for a temporary respite in the battle then looked behind her to find her answer. Whilst her Pokemon had been resilient and held off the grunt's warriors but had been steadily losing ground, Okaido's team had been decimated.

His Charizard lay weakly on the ground before him and his Pidgeot had been swiped from the air by a Crobat and now lay almost unmoving at Okaido's feet. His Rhyhorn and Exeggutor had been scorched by a pair of Ninetales to the point where they lay unconscious and his Gyarados and Kadabra had been wrestled down by a Nidoking and Nidoqueen who now held their poisonous points threateningly towards their fallen opponents.

"I never thought Okaido would be our weak link," Leaf thought to herself. "I'm our weak link? Unless…" she realised and looked to Okaido's downed fighters. They were surrounded by Courtney's and Giovanni's Pokemon. She looked to Samuel Oak whose Pokemon had cut down huge swathes of Rocket grunt's warriors, almost double the amount that Leaf's Pokemon had managed then looked back to Okaido. Courtney and Giovanni had used the war as a distraction to render his Pokemon helpless.

And now Leaf saw why.

Silver moved through the grunts and over to Okaido. He was flanked by his Pokemon, a Gengar and Kadabra on one side and a Crobat and Magneton on the other.

"Come on," he said to his half-brother. "Let's get you out the way."

"I'm not moving," Okaido said stubbornly.

"We defeated your Pokemon," Giovanni said. "So that you won't be present in the centre when Samuel and Leaf are annihilated alongside their Pokemon."

"And I'm staying right here," Okaido replied. "You won't kill them with me here."

"Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be, brother," Silver said to Blue. The grunt's Pokemon surrounded the Resistance with Leaf's fighters hanging close to her and Oak's close to him. Giovanni's Pokemon had joined the ranks of the Rocket grunts' on Oak's side and Courtney's now readied to face Leaf alongside the horde of grunt Pokemon. Leaf knew she had no chance, even with Samuel Oak's aid.

"I will never abandon my gramps and my friend," Okaido said stoutly.

"Do it," Giovanni commanded Silver who in turn nodded towards his Magneton. The electric type sent out small shockwaves towards Okaido which were weak in strength but still enough to temporarily paralyse him. Okaido collapsed to the floor and was unable to move where he was then picked up by Silver with the help of both his Crobat and Kadabra. They carried off to where the two brothers travelled to the far side of the room. Okaido lay prone on the floor behind Silver's podium and was surrounded by his half brother's four Pokemon who were ready to pen him in and, if necessary, paralyse him again once he regained full consciousness. Leaf saw the door open from behind Giovanni then close. The Team Rocket boss and Courtney were too engrossed in Silver and Okaido to notice but Leaf presumed that more Rocket grunts had arrived to reinforce the main army.

"Ready?" Professor Oak said quietly to Leaf as the two stood back to back in the centre of the room, their five Pokemon each guarding their fronts.

"We're going to lose aren't we?" she asked nervously, seeing an uncountable number of Rocket Pokemon line up in front of her. She expected Samuel Oak to raise her spirits but he did no such thing.

"Probably," he replied. "Let's go down fighting. Let's bring as many of the swine with us as we go. Then its up to my grandson to bring down his father."

Leaf looked to her team one at a time and all her friends she had made looked back to her in turn and either smiled or nodded their head towards her. They were ready. "I'm sorry," she whispered to them all. "But thank you. All of you. I've never known more loyal Pokemon."

Club and Heiko charged first. They had grown tired of the standoff as a desire for vengeance burned through them. They'd go down knowing they did all they could to avenge their fallen mother and trainer respectively. Belly stumbled after them whilst Dino and Loch stayed back to protect Leaf.

She heard the cries and roars of Oak's Pokemon behind her engaging in battle with Giovanni's own. She saw her own friends fight valiantly and defiantly. She felt tears filling her eyes and smelt the stench of her own fears pouring down her in the form of sweat. Then she tasted the bittersweet taste of a heroic defeat, a final stand she could be proud of.

Dino roared and charged into the fray himself, knocking over two Raticate with his bulk then stamping and crushing Courtney's Crobat beneath his feet after first using his vines to haul the bat from the air. Loch froze Courtney's Muk within a tomb of ice where Heiko then melted both the ice prison and the Muk within. The Lapras then proceeded to decimate one of the Ninetales with an unstoppable blast of water.

Leaf turned back to watch Oak's Blastoise ram into Giovanni's Rhydon and drown it in water sprayed from the twin cannons. Oak's Gyarados fell in battle against the Team Rocket boss's Nidoking and Nidoqueen who combined their efforts before Giovanni watched his Dugtrio fall in battle to Oak's Exeggutor using psychic attacks. The Arcanine and Tauros used by Oak in battle defeated one each of Giovanni's two Rhyhorn before in turn falling to a swarm of grunt-owned Pokemon.

She turned back to her own team who were being majorly pushed back by the sheer numbers they were being forced to face. Courtney's team had been reduced to just one Ninetales and her Nidoqueen but both were proving formidable foes to Leaf's own Pokemon along with dozens of grunt-owned creatures.

Dino had been forced back all the way to his trainer and whipped at approaching Rocket grunt Pokemon with vines whilst Loch washed them away with water blasts but no matter how many they defeated, the endless horde just kept coming, and Leaf's team were tiring rapidly. Belly had been forced over and was now on his back with Heiko and Club to either side of him trying to hold their opponents off so the Snorlax wouldn't be defeated. But they were only delaying the inevitable. Courtney's Ninetales hopped atop Belly and slowly skulked across his frame ready to breathe lethal flames into his face and her Nidoqueen had grabbed Club's bone club and tossed it aside before pushing her to the ground and holding her foot to her throat to choke the life out of her. Then came the soul-tearing pain that came with losing a Pokemon. But this time it was different, this time the pain came not from the soul, but the heart.

"Wally!" she cried as Heiko fell to a swarm of Rocket Pokemon. The Flareon had been the last remnant of her old friend left within this world and had been defeated by the group he had sworn his vengeance upon. She collapsed to the floor, unable to take the strain. Then another cry joined hers. But this cry wasn't one of pain, but one of pure rage.

"Wally!" a male voice called out from behind Giovanni.

"Father!" Silver bellowed from his podium at the other side of the arena. "You treated me as if I was nothing. A meaningless and useless failure. Well now it's my turn to show you what I'm capable of." Silver's Pokemon released Okaido from his imprisonment and turned on their former Rocket comrades, cutting into the grunt horde of Pokemon from the left flank using vicious attacks intended to carve through the army and reach the centre.

Leaf looked back towards her Pokemon and almost squealed in shock. Courtney's Nidoqueen and Ninetales now had eyes of lilac. They were being possessed.

She looked behind her and saw that Giovanni's Nidoqueen and Nidoking had met the same fate then saw to the right side of the room the same figure she had seen possessing Pokemon in Lavender Town. But this time the figure was in light and the person using possession to control Courtney and Giovanni's Pokemon was as clear to her as day. It was Erik.

The possessed Pokemon joined Leaf, Oak and Silver in their battle against Rocket and it was to clear to Leaf that even Giovanni hadn't expected this betrayal. For the first time ever he looked flustered and unsure of what to do next. It was his wife that came up with the solution. Courtney pulled out four black stones from her pocket, Megastones. She leapt from the podium and sprinted towards the possessed Pokemon where one by one, she forcefully evolved them which broke the possession and began the process of mega-evolution.

All four were shrouded by a blackness which unveiled the four mega-evolutions when it dissipated. The Ninetales had grown in size and its tails had turned black in colour, as well as the hair atop its head. The two mega-Nidoqueen had also now grown in size and their bodies were now a much darker shade of blue. The cream on their bellies had turned into a metal shield upon their chests and stomachs and their horns had grown to three times the size and sharpness. Leaf recoiled at the dark red of their eyes. Finally, the Nidoking had also grown with a new metal shield upon his chest and stomach and his skin a darker shade of purple with a black tail. The spikes on his back had turned to steel and his eyes red but most threateningly his entire body was lined with purple plates of armour.

The four mega-evolutions turned back towards the Resistance and Silver but Erik had a plan for this too. He launched four Masterballs towards the creatures but these capsules were different to a standard Masterball, almost an upgraded version. Instead of having a purple top it was pure black and the two buttons on either side were now miniature Megastones.

"Our Megaballs!" Courtney squealed as if Erik had stolen the devices.

"What do they do?" Leaf asked her, they were now only a few paces away from each other as the so-called Megaballs captured and contained the four mega-evolutions.

"Our latest invention," Courtney said, squirming nervously. "Only usable by our Project Union, Erik. The Megastones on the sides act as identification sensors so only he can use them. A Megaball will capture a Mega and keep it in that state permanently, but under control of Erik." So Erik would be able to capture and control Megas, Leaf realised.

"Why would Giovanni hand all this power to Erik, I don't understand?" Leaf replied. And then she did. Giovanni was laughing atop his podium as his empire crumbled around him. Erik released his four Megas onto the field of battle where they wreaked havoc upon the Rocket forces, so much so that the grunts fled in terror. Leaf and Oak recalled their Pokemon and were joined by Silver and Okaido in watching the massacre in astonishment.

"Project Union is a success!" Giovanni declared as the Megas beat down Courtney and advanced on him.

"Why?!" Oak demanded of his old friend.

"Another contingency," Giovanni shouted back. "Team Rocket was unsustainable under my leadership. I had too many enemies and too few friends. I lacked the raw power to lead the region for much longer, especially with the Resistance so close to bringing me down."

"What have you done to him?" Oak asked of Erik, who had commanded his Megas to stop their advance and allow Giovanni to explain why he had done the things he had done. Leaf supposed this was for his own benefit rather than for Oak's.

"He is my Project Union. I took the most powerful trainer in the land, even more powerful than the two of us. Then I combined him with the powers of Pokemon and Megastones allowing him the power of possession, along with the control of Megaevolutions with our newest invention, the Megaball. As well as some other surprises you'll surely find out."

"But why?!" Oak demanded.

"At first I wanted power and control after losing Aria, my former wife. But even after I obtained all the power I could ever wish for it never replaced her. The only thing that could fill the hole in my heart was Okaido and Daisy, but you took them from me too. Erik here understood the same things I do. That the only way to stop pain and loss is to obtain so much power that you become like a god! I couldn't achieve that for myself, my body is too old now that the experiments would've devastated me. But Erik was young and strong. And after the death of Wally, he was also willing. He now feels no pain or loss. He has ascended above that!"

"You still haven't answered me," Oak bellowed. "What's in this for you?"

"As I said. Rocket would have soon fallen and me with it. Therefore I would've left no legacy for Okaido and Daisy. But now they can pick up where I left off, with Erik by their side they can rule the world!"

"He's lost it," Silver said in realisation.

"I still refuse," Okaido said, his voice like a growl.

"I know. This is why I initially said that Erik was my backup. If you refuse me then Erik will be my legacy!"

"It should've been me!" Silver screamed.

"You're too weak to succeed me," Giovanni said scornfully.

Silver looked ashamed and Erik decided he had heard enough. He commanded his four Megas to end their own lives, for what reason Leaf failed to understand, but they willingingly obeyed their master. Each Mega closed their eyes and seemingly exploded in a cloud of darkness. The poisonous gas wrapped around Giovanni and Courtney and suffocated the life from them much like it did to Ethan atop Cinnabar Island's volcano. The two leaders of Rocket collapsed, choking.

"That's for Wally," Erik said, his voice dark and gritty as the life left Giovanni and Courtney. Silver, Okaido, Oak and Leaf were left too stunned for words.

Two figures came to Erik's side to join him, Leaf recognising them from Silph Company Tower as Proton and Ariana.

"The most powerful trainer is now the ultimate weapon," Ariana declared. "And will led Team Rocket to new heights."

"You're joining Team Rocket?" Leaf demanded of Erik, her pulse racing.

"I am Team Rocket," Erik said, his voice croaky and dark. He nodded to Silver who nodded back.

"That was our deal," Silver said.

"What?" Leaf gasped.

"That we take down my father and Courtney together," Silver replied, his mechanical voice failing to hide the sad strain on his words. "And that he can lead Team Rocket as long as I am free to leave."

"That's it?" Leaf snapped.

"No," Silver replied. "Erik is to also withdraw Team Rocket from Kanto permanently. As long as the Resistance leaves him and Team Rocket alone then they will never emerge in Kanto again."

"Why would you care?" Okaido asked his half-brother.

"Because I want peace. I want to live my own life without Giovanni and without Team Rocket."

"And why would you?!" Leaf shouted to Erik. "How could you?!"

"Giovanni explained it perfectly," Erik replied. "The loss of Wally, my father, all my beloved Pokemon. They broke me and caused me to feel so much pain. Now with all this power I will never feel pain again!"

"But Team Rocket?" she replied, shocked. "Why lead them."

"Because I have the power of a god!" he said proudly. Leaf could tell that somehow Giovanni had broken his spirit and almost reinvented her former friend's beliefs. "And a god should rule this world. As part of my deal I shall leave Kanto untouched, as long as you lot leave me be. But the rest of this world shall fall to me."

"What happened to you?!" Leaf said as both anger and sorrow swelled within her. "You were so good. I aspired to be like you. Wally aspired to be like you!"

"And he's dead. I shall remove sadness and loss from this world. That is my goal as god of it."

"You're out of your mind!" Leaf snapped and felt the tears roll down her face.

"Wouldn't you like to live in a world where Pokemon aren't killed in battle?" Erik asked. "Where Pokemon are treated as friends instead of warriors. Where battles are fought not to the death but until a clear victor is found. Where you are free to capture as many Pokemon from a route or cave as you like? Where you don't need to be a trainer to capture and own Pokemon? Where you can buy and use as many items to heal your Pokemon as you like and use a Pokemon Centre as many times as you wish?" Erik said and Leaf sighed, unable to believe what she was hearing. "That is a world I shall create. A world without death and sadness. A world ruled by me where we shall set our own rules."

"And how would you achieve that?" Samuel Oak asked. "By tearing down our current world? By killing everyone and starting again?" he said coldly.

"If that's what is necessary, although that's not my first option" Erik replied.

"Wouldn't that cause loss and sadness?" Oak said.

"It would be a means to achieve a world of serenity," Erik said sternly.

"You say Wally's death was what broke you," Leaf began. "But you were in Lavender Town before his death, using possession to control Pokemon. You caused the death of Club's mother," she spoke of her Marowak who had collapsed through exhaustion and didn't hear her words.

"They forced these powers on me," Erik said. "I was experimenting with them in Lavender, but I wasn't quite ready yet. Back then I planned to break free and rejoin you. But Wally's death convinced me that this was the only way."

"It isn't!" Leaf snapped.

"Leaf," Okaido said. "He's gone. The Erik we knew and loved. He's gone now."

"Correct," Erik replied. "This is the last time we shall ever meet, Leaf and Blue. Unless you pursue me then Kanto shall be destroyed."

"No!" Leaf snapped as Erik turned to leave with Arianna and Proton.

"Wait!" Okaido shouted, clearly not ready to accept his own words just yet.

"Let him go," Silver said and moved to stop both Leaf and Okaido who had attempted to follow Erik out of the room. "As my brother said. The Erik you knew has gone."

"I refuse to believe it!" Leaf snapped.

"He's right," Samuel Oak spoke from behind the trio. "Erik has had his mind warped by Giovanni." Oak looked to the lifeless body of his old friend and his wife, Courtney and said a final goodbye. "He used to be a much better man," Oak said. "But loss can do terrible things to a person. Especially when that person is your world."

"I should've joined Team Rocket," Okaido said to Leaf's dismay. "All this would've been avoided. I could've turned them into a force for good."

"This isn't your fault," Leaf said softly. "Not in the slightest."

"But it is!" Okaido blurted and Oak put an arm around his grandson and spoke too quietly for Leaf to hear.

"What will you do?" Leaf asked of Silver, still unsettled by the sight of the mask on his face.

"I don't know," he said. Leaf had noticed that he was a relatively quiet person who enjoyed his own company rather than to be with others. She almost felt sorry for him, but the sight of the monstrosity of metal upon his face made her struggle to see the human being she knew was underneath. Maybe that was the mask's intention after all.

"You're still in the tournament aren't you?" Okaido asked as he returned from his pep talk by his grandfather.

"The tournament!" Leaf blurted. "I had forgotten all about that!"

"Its meaningless now," Silver said.

"It's not," Samuel Oak corrected him. "Whoever is Champion will be able to decide the fate of Kanto." He looked to his grandson and smiled, clearly backing Okaido for the victory.

"There's only us three and Lance left in it," Leaf said and thought of the former Champion Lance, the world's most famous dragon tamer. He was said to be the most powerful trainer in the region after Professor Oak and Giovanni and one of the greatest trainers in the world.

"The draw is fixed," Silver revealed to none of their surprise. "I'm to face my brother."

"In a fair fight?" Okaido asked.

"A fair fight between Giovanni's sons," Silver replied.

"So I'm to face Lance," Leaf said and Silver nodded confirmation.

"If I lose," Silver continued. "I leave Kanto for good."

"You don't have to, you helped us," Leaf said.

"Humiliation and shame isn't something I'm willing to face anymore of," Silver responded. "But I promise you that if I win then I will try to achieve the same goals as you are."

"You will?!" Leaf said excitedly.

"Archer is my father's pet puppy. Now he's off his leash there's no telling what stupid things he'll concoct. I want him gone so my father's and Team Rocket's grip on the region is completely destroyed," Silver said and made no effort to hide the anger in his voice.

"And Erik?" Leaf asked. "Isn't he your father's true legacy?"

Silver grunted at that but said nothing to it. "Time for me to take my leave," he said. "Lance will be waiting for you at Indigo Plateau, on the top level."

Before Leaf or Okaido could reply, Silver span on his heel and skulked out of the room. Leaf wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

"So the Servants," Okaido asked. "What happened with that lot?"

"Lyra!" Leaf blurted as she once again remembered another issue. "They're all...gone," she said. "Their leader, Lyra, killed them…"

"Why?" Okaido asked, puzzled.

"Because," Samuel Oak intervened. "She is a malicious and single minded fool who only has a concern for one thing, power. She cares not for anyone else."

"She's my mother," Leaf revealed.

"Oh," Oak replied.

"What?" Okaido added.

"I didn't know the leader of the Servants was Lyra until very recently. But she is my mother and she plans to release Mewtwo once more."

"Then we must stop her," Oak replied. "Instantly."

"Out of her 'love' for me," Leaf said, stressing the word 'love' with a bitter tone. "She has promised me less than two days to try to escape the region."

"Then I shall go to stop the menace," Oak decided.

"No," Leaf said forcefully. "She's my mother. It's my duty to stop her."

"You're sure?" Oak asked, surprising Leaf with his willingness to submit to her wishes. He clearly trusted her.

"I am," she said. "I shall try my best to become Champion. But before I unite the region and take down Archer I will move to stop my mother from destroying it."

"You got no chance," Okaido said and winked. "I'll do the Champion bit, you do the taking down Lyra bit," he said almost playfully.

"May the best trainer win," Leaf said in response.

Team Rocket had been all but destroyed that day with their final base of operations cleared out and their two leaders, Giovanni and Courtney, removed from the equation. Their third in command, Silver, had betrayed and disowned them which left only the Governor of Kanto, Archer, left.

But Leaf had other worries. She still needed to become Champion to take down Archer and unite the region and that was only the start. Lance stood in her way then either Okaido or Silver. But most troubling of all was that she had been given until the next night by Lyra to leave the region and it was already the end of the day before. Leaf was slowly but surely running out of time to stop her mother from unleashing the most powerful Pokemon the world has ever known and destroying Kanto for good.


	19. The Tamer

**Chapter Eighteen - The Tamer**

Dawn was announced not by a pale sky as the sun shifted darkness from the world, but the Kanto National News's morning show reporting their breaking announcement. Ty the cameraman filmed an ill-looking Gabby who reported the death of Courtney to a populace who had already believe Giovanni to be deceased.

"The rebel group known only as the 'Resistance' have now killed our two most prestigious heads of state," Gabby reported. She stood before a scene of serenity as the news attempted to express a calm and united nation. A smiling Archer shook hands behind her with Kanto's citizens and smiles painted faces all around. "But wherever darkness threatens to ensnare Kanto, the light always prevails and so it has proved. In sacrificing their own lives against the Resistance, our beloved Giovanni and Courtney have dissolved Team Rocket in their heroic last stands," Gabby said, which made no sense to Leaf as she watched the news.

"How?" Leaf asked and Gabby appeared to answer her question.

"Courtney tricked both Team Rocket and the Resistance to meet in the Test Centre where she more than held her own once both sides clashed with herself trapped in the middle. She sacrificed her own life as Giovanni had before her to ensure our region became a better place. Our Archer has told me this himself."

Leaf snorted at the false words.

"Many of us believed that the Resistance and Team Rocket were as one but that has now been revealed to not be the case. Whilst Team Rocket were destroyed and forever banished from our region, the Resistance is still at large."

Leaf gulped as she prepared for Gabby to announce her, Okaido and Samuel Oak as their members, as had been clearly planned. She noticed that Archer now turned away from the citizens and looked towards the camera as he awaited the revelation to the region.

"But our glorious mayor will continue in his post and strive to work together with the newly crowned winner of the Champion's tournament, which is due to finish either today or tomorrow, to restabilize Kanto and crush the terrorist group known as the Resistance."

"So he expects Lance or Silver to win it, I suppose," Leaf muttered.

"Gabby," Archer bellowed. "Don't forget the big news."

"Ah yes," Gabby stuttered and appeared nervous. "I have been instructed to reveal to you, the people of Kanto, as to the identities of the Resistance."

"A group of three," Archer shouted as he walked towards the camera, wanting to be the singular face of this new regime now that Giovanni, Courtney and Team Rocket had all fallen. "A dastardly trio that have killed two esteemed members of government and tried to tear down our beloved region."

"Would you like to do the announcement?" Gabby asked sweetly. There was a barb in her words but the mayor failed to notice it.

"No, my friend," he replied and stepped to her side. "You are the face of the news team and many people in Kanto respect your reporting," he said dutifully. "You reveal the identities of these awful people.

"Then I shall," Gabby said and smiled fiendishly. "I shall now unveil to you the menace which plagues our region. Team Rocket weren't the only barbaric villains of our lands."

"Here we go," Leaf said nervously and gulped.

"And many of us still wonder who lead the failed organisation of Team Rocket," she continued and Leaf gulped once more. Then, in a move that must have shocked the nation and stunned the viewing audience into a confused rage. Gabby shoved Archer over. The mayor's bodyguards looked as puzzled as the citizens around them and hesitated before making their way over to the grounded Archer. And this allowed Gabby to make her own announcement.

"Giovanni and Courtney led Team Rocket in secret," she screeched and Ty backed slowly away so it would take longer for the bodyguards to reach him. "The Resistance are our only hope!" she screamed as the bodyguards grabbed her and wrestled the reported to the ground and Archer clambered to his feet. "Archer is too, he's a member of-" she tried but her mouth was covered by a bodyguard's hand.

"Lies!" Archer protested to the camera and Ty then turned the screen on himself.

"It's true!" the cameraman shouted. "We are told what to report to you by them! It's all lies!" he managed before a bodyguard grabbed him but not before the cameraman managed to smash his own piece of equipment. And the screen went black.

"I knew you hadn't betrayed us," Leaf said happily. Gabby and Ty had been working undercover for the Resistance for as long as they had been able to. Deflecting interest on the identities to its members and garnering information for themselves, ready to strike when the time was right. And now both Courtney and Giovanni were gone, the government's grasp on the region's main news outlet had weakened.

Archer would have a difficult time convincing the population that the reporters had lied, a job he would succeed in but it would take time. Enough time for Leaf and Okaido to finish the Champion's tournament in time for Lyra's release of Mewtwo, Leaf hoped.

* * *

Leaf made haste through Victory Road. The ancient tunnel was a maze of rocks and uneven surfaces which used to act as a trainer's final challenge before meeting with the Elite Four. Previously, other expert trainers who wished to compete against the Champion would first test their might against each other in the unforgiving cave. But now Victory Road was a lonely place due to Team Rocket's Champion Tournament. A place where Leaf was left to her own thoughts.

Her pokemon walked the lonely road alongside her as they trekked the treacherous path towards the exit where sunlight poured in to light the tunnel. Saur the Aerodactyl and Venom the Venomoth had been withdrawn from Storage to complete a team of six alongside Dino, Loch, Belly and Club. These six were to be her Pokemon for the final two rounds of the tournament.

This was another issue daunting her mind. There was a rule for this semi-final match against Lance and it would be the same in the other matchup of Okaido and Silver. The final battle would take place directly after the semi-final with all surviving Pokemon being quickly healed then sent on their way into the Champion's Arena for the last fight. The problem however, was that both finalists would be unable to withdraw any Pokemon to replace the ones which had fallen in the semi-final. So her current six Pokemon would have to see her through both the semi-final and the final.

"Erik," Leaf said solemnly to herself, suddenly changing the subject to another which plagued her. "What did they do to you. How could they have turned you?" she thought, then shook her head. "No, they didn't turn you.". "You truly believe that what you're doing is right. That what you're doing by leading Team Rocket and uniting the world under their visage will bring peace and harmony. A world without people losing their Pokemon in simple trainer battles and a land of united regions where there is no war. Where there is peace." She nodded in understanding of her friend's motives. "But first you would destroy the world in order to achieve that great dream. So I'm sorry, I cannot stand with you." She then remembered her deal with Erik. If she left him alone then Kanto would be spared. She struggled to believe that he would truly leave Kanto untouched but did trust Erik to first focus on Johto and Hoenn.

Leaf and her Pokemon had reached the exit and strided out into the mid-morning sun which poured onto them in a wash of heat. They had exited Victory Road and were now met by a hugely impressive sight.

Rows of trees lined a stone road where flowerbeds sat to either side. Seventeen arches followed the road up the hill and each of these impressive structures was a different colour to match a type of Pokemon and each was ornamented by a statue of a Pokemon's head at the centre of the arch. The statue matched the type of Pokemon that the arch represented.

"It's so pretty," Leaf gasped then looked to the well-decorated building at the end of the road. Indigo Plateau.

There seemed to be five floors of the tower-like structure. One for each member of the Elite Four and another for the Champion. Each floor seemed to get slightly smaller which allowed every rising level to have a small roof where statues of legendary Pokemon such as Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos sat alongside rare Pokemon like Dragonite, Charizard and Alakazam.

"So if I can remember correctly," Leaf said to her team of Pokemon. "The Champion battle arena was always on the bottom level so anyone who enters can see. But to enter the arena, the trainer must first battle their way up the tower." She stopped and thought for a second. "But Lance moved the Champion arena when he was the Champion," she remembered. "To suit his dragon types, he moved it to the roof. But the Champion Tournament final will be held on the lowest level." She gulped and looked to where the tower rose high into the sky and thought of Lance waiting for her at the top. She would have to defeat the former Champion in his own arena.

Dino moved over to his trainer and nuzzled her softly with his enormous head. He had always been the leader of the team as well as her most valued friend and now the Venasaur comforted his trainer when she needed him most. Like he always had done.

"Are you ready?" she asked him nervously and received a nod in response. Lance was one of the best trainers in the world, and the greatest Dragon Tamer. Dragon-type Pokemon could not be captured by conventional means, they had to submit to a trainer that they respected enough to surrender to.

"Lance," she spoke through gritted teeth. "I'm coming for you."

* * *

Leaf entered Indigo Plateau and was met by a stairwell to her right and an open doorway in front of her where through she saw a glass screen which overlooked the Champion battle arena. The huge stadium remained impressive despite being eerily empty.

Previously, when a battle to decide the Pokemon Champion had begun every seat in the stadium would be full of fans and the boisterous noise of an expectant audience filled the arena. Each supporter would pick either the side of the holding Champion or the challenger and cheered and jeered until a result was decided.

The centre of the arena was a simple plain of grass with a screen at either end featuring a countdown timer stuck at 5:00 minutes underneath a grey symbol centred with a six-pointed star. The arena would change type every five minutes and was currently favouring normal-typed Pokemon. Leaf had seen the arena change on television so many times. From a deep bowl of water with two miniature islands to suit water types to change to a sheet of ice five minutes later then an electrically charged grid after another five minutes. The type changes were all done in a random order. This was where the final battle of the tournament would be held but first she needed to ascend the stairwell and face Lance. And win.

She eagerly bolted up a set of stairs, then another, and another. She passed through each of the old Elite Four's floors from Lorelei's room of ice to Bruno's fighting dojo then Agatha's ghost arena until she emerged out onto the roof where a man awaited her. His red cape flapped through the wind as a chill took to the sunny day from how high up they stood. He had scornful dark eyes and a tight, thin face with spiked crimson hair.

"You should've stayed at home," Lance said, his voice controlled and confident.

Leaf remained silent and studied the reigning Champion's own battle arena. She felt so high up that she could feel a slight hint of vertigo and the clouds seemed to almost reach down and touch her. The roof itself was unremarkable, just a large and flat battleground of metal but there was a large pool in the centre where water-type Pokemon could flourish.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Lance said.

"Why don't we fight downstairs, in the Champion's arena?" Leaf said in an attempt to goad her opponent. "You are the current Champion after all?"

"And stifle my dragon types?" he asked and spoke to Leaf as if she was a fool. "No. They prefer the open sky.

"I'm going to beat you," Leaf said angrily. "So much depends on this battle. I'm not going to let you win. No matter what."

"So confident," Lance said and brushed off her comments with a disinterested shrug. "I have to admit that you impress me. That is a difficult feat to achieve."

"I don't care," Leaf snapped.

"I came up with the idea for this Champion's tournament with Giovanni," Lance revealed. "As Champion I could change the structure of the region and I decided to use my power for my own good."

"Why are you telling me?" Leaf snapped once again. "I don't care."

"It was fixed," Lance said, ignoring her. "So that I would face Courtney and Giovanni's two sons would face off against one another in the other match. The best trainer of the four of us would then become Champion."

"And Giovanni thought he could control each and every one of the four of you?" Leaf said. "Well that didn't work did it."

"No," Lance admitted. "And that is why you impress me. You alone disrupted our plans for this tournament."

"So did Okaido," Leaf said proudly. "He refused to join his father.

"Believe it or not," he said, ignoring her again. "My biggest problem was the former Elite Four. They were obviously not happy about losing their places at the top table," he said and laughed.

"Get to the point," Leaf snapped.

"The point is," Lance said. "To stop them rebelling against us I took all their best Pokemon."

"So?"

"I have all the best Pokemon in the region. The Champions and the Elite Four's Pokemon combined."

"Oh," Leaf said and gulped. She felt suddenly anxious once more but again, Dino softly nuzzled her. And again, the Venusaur's gentle encouragement filled her with hope. They had been through so much together, her and her entire team. The Resistance together had been through more than most go through in a lifetime. She couldn't falter now, not when the end was in sight.

"And by the way," Lance began to say words that would pour ice into Leaf's veins and caused her to almost seize up. "The stadium downstairs is already filling of people ready for the final. That means as soon as our fight is finished we must proceed downstairs to the Champion's arena."

"I know," Leaf said, trying to appear calm and collected but anxiety tore through her at the thought of two simultaneous high-stake battles.

"And remember," Lance said. "Any of the victor's Pokemon who fall in our battle will be unable to be replaced for the final."

"I know," she said again.

"Are you ready to begin?" he asked her and pulled the first Pokeball from his belt. Leaf nodded to Venom to be her first Pokemon in battle.

"I'm more than ready," Leaf growled. "This is for Wally, this is for Erik, this is for Archie and the rest of the people we have lost along the way!"

"Then let us fight! Lance declared and released his first Pokemon. An Aerodactyl.

"Woah," Leaf murmured as the ancient beast took to the skies above and screeched loudly. Lance must have used the same resurrection laboratory as she had on Cinnabar Island because now there were two of these majestic flying creatures reborn into the world, one in her possession and the other now hovering above Indigo Plateau ready to fight Leaf's Venomoth.

Venom had two bulging round eyes and small fangs which protruded from his mouth and to Leaf's surprise was almost as tall as she was. Her bug-type Pokemon buzzed towards his foe and moved his lilac-coloured frame with grace and agility. He had an array of poison and psychic attacks in his arsenal which could be used against his prehistoric foe who snapped its large jaws at Leaf's Pokemon.

"Go my dragon," Lance shouted to his fighter. "Bring me victory. It is my right to retain my crown as Pokemon Champion of Kanto!

"Not while we still live," Leaf growled and Dino roared in support towards Venom who, despite being smaller than his opponent, moved more slowly through the air.

Venom twisted agilely to avoid a vicious bite from the Aerodactyl who twisted himself in the air and was straight upon the Venomoth again. The prehistoric Pokemon tried using his wing to attack the bug-type but Leaf's Pokemon ducked underneath and fired a strange beam of energy towards his foe. The beam flashed rapidly, causing Leaf a slight headache as she tried to keep her eyes fixed on the attack, but the Aerodactyl simply swerved aside the bizarre beam and crashed into the Venomoth using his wing.

Venom tumbled from the sky towards the metal surface of Indigo Plateau's roof where the impact would surely be his end but the Venomoth managed to recover and correct himself just before he smashed into the ground. He emitted a powerful wave of psychic energy which acted as a telekinetic force towards the onrushing Aerodactyl who was thrown backwards by the attack.

"Keep going," Leaf shouted in encouragement towards her Venomoth who used the momentary respite to rise higher into the sky. Then remained stationary. "What are you doing?" Leaf gasped as the Aerodactyl shook its large head and had its senses return. Then charged.

"Do it!" Lance cheered on his Pokemon who stormed through the skies. Venom rushed downwards as the Aerodactyl charged through the area where the Venomoth had previously been, then dropped itself to follow Leaf's Pokemon. "Here we go!" Lance cried excitedly as his Pokemon caught Venom at a rapid pace. The Venomoth had trapped himself. From here there was no escape, no sharp turn couldn't be matched by the Aerodactyl and Lance's Pokemon was closing in a frightening speed.

Leaf clenched her jaw and fists and awaited the impact as the Aerodactyl opened his huge mouth ready to almost swallow Venom whole before the Venomoth tried a despairing but ineffective last move, to dodge out of the way at the last second. But Leaf knew that even Venom wouldn't be agile enough to avoid her apparent fate. The Venomoth rolled aside and Leaf waited tensely for the Aerodactyl to follow amidst Lance's cheers at the predictable outcome.

A huge crash came in a crunch and the squeal of metal. Leaf gasped and Lance made a sound which was almost a scream. Venom landed on the metal surface of the roof and remained motionless. He watched his victim struggle and fall. The Aerodactyl had crashed straight into the roof.

"What?!" Lance shouted, slow to realise what had happened.

"Sleeping powder," Leaf said triumphantly. Her Venomoth had released sleeping powder into the sky around her when the Aerodactyl first charged. Venom had then dropped and the prehistoric Pokemon had followed whilst the powder swept into his system and shut it down. If the impact of the crash into the roof had been too much from the Aerodactyl, then Venom now plunging fangs dripping with lethal poison into the creature was the finishing blow.

"Right," Lance growled. "I'm going to kill that pathetic insect. Get him Kingdra!" he bellowed and released a Pokemon into the large pool in the middle of the roof. A Kingdra was the fully evolved version of Horsea and was the same size as Lance. It's body was full of muscle and its snout was powerful enough to send water like shockwaves through the ocean. And now it readied its cannon-like mouth to fire at Venom who floated nervously in the sky.

Venom launched another flashing beam towards the Kingdra who simply ducked underwater and allowed the attack to splash harmlessly into the water's surface and fizzle out. Then the Kingdra emerged and shot a stream of water like a volcano launched lava. The liquid shot through the sky and Venom only just managed to avoid the attack then rapidly rolled again to avoid another, then another. The onslaught remained relentless from Lance's Pokemon and Venom was quickly becoming fatigued from the continued assaults.

Then the Kingdra stopped. Venom used the opportunity to send a telekinetic wave of psychic energy towards his foe but the dragon-type quickly ducked under the water once more and the attack simply splashed across the pool's surface and caused a wave of water to reach over the side and splash down harmlessly across the metal roof. Lance's Pokemon appeared and launched huge bubbles out of its snout towards Venom and, like Spurt's beforehand, once the bubbles reached their opponent, they exploded. But unlike Spurt's miniature eruptions, the Kingdra's bubbles exploded with such force it was almost as if they contained large bombs inside.

Venom once again began the process of avoiding an attack then swiftly dodging another. But now tiredness had caught up with the Venomoth. And the attacks seemed to have upped their pace. He dodged bubble after bubble, explosion after explosion, but still the onslaught continued until Venom could dodge no more. A bubble floated close the Leaf's Pokemon and exploded before he could roll out of its way. The Venomoth tumbled towards the metal surface where the Kingdra stopped its attacks and prepared to blast away the remnants of Venom's life with an unstoppable wave of water.

"Quick, Venom!" Leaf shouted hurriedly. "Move quick otherwise it's over!"

The Venomoth responded to his trainer and feebly released another flashing beam towards its foe who swiftly ducked under the water to avoid the attack. Then the Kingdra reappeared again, ready to finish the fight. But this time Venom displayed a show of wit like he did against the Aerodactyl. The Venomoth had used the Kingdra's time underwater to close in on his foe and now swooped down when the water dragon reappeared and plunged poisonous fangs into the creature. Toxins seeped from his teeth into Lance's Pokemon and swarmed its veins. The panicked Kingdra thrashed and flailed around in an effort to release the Venomoth's grip on itself, but its attempts were in vain. The poison gripped the Kingdra's heart and tore the life from it. Venom had claimed his second victory and collapsed in an exhausted heap.

"You think you're winning," Lance said fiercely, clearly unused to losing a battle. "But I have in my possession the greatest Pokemon of each of the former Elite Four. And these Pokemon are the ones you'll be facing next."

"Bring it on," Leaf said through gritted teeth and watched Lance release his next Pokemon into battle, a Lapras. Leaf responded with Loch and watched the two Lapra's enclose upon the pool in the arena's centre.

Loch raced towards the water where he'd find his advantage but the square-shaped hole in the roof would only be able to contain one of the two large creatures so each Lapras began firing shots of water and ice at the other in an effort to slow their opponent down. The creatures moved slowly across the metal and used their flippers to slither across. A beam of ice collided with Lance's Lapras who responded with a spray of water which caused Loch to recoil. Then followed up with its own icy attack but instead of aiming for Leaf's Pokemon, the Lapras covered the ground in front of itself with ice.

"Ingenious!" Lance called out as his Pokemon hopped onto the ice-covered metal and slid at speed towards the pool. His Lapras skated towards the water and narrowly beat Loch in the race to the roof's centre, landing his a large splash.

"No!" Leaf called out as her Pokemon was unable to dart aside to avoid any of his opponent's attacks. A wave of water rose up from the pool and knocked Loch off balance then a ray of ice crashed into Leaf's Pokemon and pushed him over. He tried to retaliate but his foe simply ducked underneath the pool as the Kingdra had before and avoided the blast of water from Loch.

"Too easy," Lance said casually whilst his Lapras emerged from the water and attacked again, using a combination of water and ice to pummel Loch relentlessly before Leaf's Pokemon collapsed to the ground in a battered heap.

"I have a plan," Leaf said to her Pokemon, her voice strained and weary. "But you must keep going," she said and hoped her Lapras read her thoughts.

"No plan will work," Lance spoke eagerly. "This round is won."

Loch struggled to hold himself upright but managed to erupt a weak spray of water from his mouth which his opponent allowed to wash over its skin, soaking the Pokemon slightly but causing the water-type no damage. Lance laughed and Loch tried again, using a beam of ice this time. But his opponent simply ducked underneath the water. Just as Leaf and Loch had wanted him to.

"Now!" Leaf screeched and her Lapras obliged. Loch rained ice down like a blizzard on the water, causing the surface of the pool to freeze over and have a sheet of ice blanketed on top. Lance's Lapras could surely survive underneath for a long period of time, being a water and ice dual type and the Pokemon would definitely have enough strength to break the thin sheet of ice that rested on top of the water. So it was time for part two of the plan, for Loch to shoot yet more ice on top of the sheet to strengthen it and trap his opponent underneath. But when it was time for him to act, Loch just collapsed through pain and exhaustion to yet more laughs of derision from Lance.

"That was your big plan?" the former Champion said. "But your Pokemon is too weak to finish what it started!" he taunted as a crack appeared within the sheet of ice from where his own Lapras bashed it from underneath. "I hope you don't have a plan B," he said sarcastically.

"I don't," Leaf admitted then looked to Loch. "But he does," she said and watched a section of the sheet of ice shatter just as her Pokemon regained his composure and stood back upright, then leapt. A crash sounded as Lance's Lapras attempted to emerge from underwater and her own Pokemon crashed into the ice and slammed his body into his foe who vanished back underneath the pool in complete surprise, swiftly followed by Loch.

Leaf and Lance both stood nervously as the water rippled and sloshed whilst the two beasts struggled in the contained space. Leaf closed her eyes and waited. She waited for either a severe tearing sensation within her to signal the loss of Loch, or for her Lapras to emerge victorious from the shallow depths. Time seemed to move so slowly it may aswell have stopped. A Fearow screeched in the skies above them and the bitterly cold wind howled. She shook suddenly, whether because of the cold or the apprehension she did not know, but still she waited.

Then a Lapras emerged victorious, the defeated foe left sunken at the bottom of the pool. It was Loch. Leaf's Pokemon had won the battle having almost been defeated. He had surprised his opponent and that had gifted him the advantage. Now he simply collapsed and Leaf recalled her fighter and sent out Club in his place.

"How?" Lance said, flabbergasted. Club span the length of bone in her hand and awaited her opponent, whoever that may be.

"Get on with it," Leaf snapped and Lance nodded. He launched a Pokeball into the air and watched as a Gengar emerged from within. The same Pokemon that Leaf had battled within Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town. The same Pokemon that had killed Club's mother.

Club was both furious and devastated. She struggled to look at the Pokemon she had to face in battle as memories of what had caused her to leave her home and take up her quest of vengeance now filled her. She slouched down, looking defeated.

"Come on Club," Leaf said softly. "We've gotten this far together. You've been through so much and made me so proud with how you handled all your pain." Club looked despondent as the Gengar approached. Leaf knew that her Pokemon was vicious when they fought Team Rocket as her Marowak's motivation stemmed from revenge. But when faced against a Gengar she was clearly struggling to maintain her resolve.

"Your Marowak's given up!" Lance said and chuckled. His Gengar approached with a menacing look fixed upon its face, from its malicious grin to its foreboding crimson eyes. The ghost-type Pokemon summoned a lilac sphere of spiritual energy and launched it towards Club who made no attempt to dodge the attack. Instead, the shadowy ball smashed into the Marowak and sent her sprawling across the floor as bitter memories tortured her willpower. Leaf knew that her Pokemon craved a simple life. In reality, she was still just a child desiring to be with her family, yearning to settle down and live in peace. Now she had no purpose, no motivation and no spirit.

"Club," Leaf said, trying again. She felt tempted to withdraw her sullen Pokemon but knew that her Marowak wouldn't muster the energy to leave the field of battle. She also felt that she could still motivate Club to succeed. "You haven't avenged your mother yet," Leaf said harshly and the Marowak glanced back at her trainer with pained eyes. "You've got your revenge on Courtney and Team Rocket. But they didn't kill your mother. A Gengar did." Club realised what her trainer was saying just as another shadow ball crashed into her, sending her flying back towards her trainer and out of the zone of battle. Leaf could recall her if she so wished but had no desire to do so. Not now. "This is it," Leaf said and lay a hand upon the Marowak. "It's come full circle. Now you can finally finish your quest for revenge." Club looked at her trainer and nodded. The Look in her eyes flicked from pain to anger. She charged.

Lance laughed at his opponents apparently futile attempts. In truth, the Marowak did look battered and bruised. But Leaf knew better. She knew how fiercely Club fought when her heart was set on revenge. The Marowak rolled just as another sphere crashed past her then launched herself at the Gengar and tried to smash the ghost-type with her club. Lance's Pokemon smirked viciously and then faded slightly to make itself translucent. A trick used by ghost-types. Club fell through the Gengar as if the Pokemon wasn't even there and his attack did no damage.

"No chance!" Lance laughed. Still fully confident of a victory despite only having three Pokemon left to Leaf's six.

"You're down to your last two," Leaf said to Lance's confusion. The former Champion tapped the two Pokeballs still affixed to his belt then pointed to Gengar and raised three fingers at her. "Because Club won't give up until she's won this now. You shouldn't have used a Gengar."

And Leaf was right. Despite being unable to hit the Gengar who simply phased out of the way each time Club attacked, the Marowak remained relentless. She tried different tactics, headbutting, swiping, clubbing and others to try and strike her foe. But none worked.

"How can your Pokemon win this?" Lance said amidst laughter. "It can't even hit my Gengar."

"She will," Leaf said and watched as her Marowak tossed her bone club through the air, her attack once more phasing through the Gengar to more laughs. Lance's Pokemon stood up straight to Club, clearly enjoying taunting the Marowak rather than attacking. That was its fatal mistake. Club had tossed her bone club like a boomerang, and whilst the Gengar's back was turned he failed to see the attack coming and therefore was unable to phase out of its way. The club smashed into the Gengar's back and sent it stumbling over where Club darted out of the way, picked up her club, and began to pummel the fallen ghost-type until she had achieved victory.

"How do you?" Lance spat but was unable to finish his question.

"Resolve. Strategy. Willpower. Strength," Leaf answered him. "You like to taunt and humiliate your foes. That gives me the opportunity to overpower you with mental fortitude and wisdom."

"Then no longer," Lance declared. "My final two Pokemon shall show no restraint. I will show you true strength!" he shouted as Leaf recalled Club into her Pokeball and kissed the capsule with whispered appreciation to her Marowak.

"Come on Belly," Leaf spoke to a Pokeball before releasing her Snorlax into the fray. Lance countered with a Machamp, the fighting type pounding his chest with four muscular arms in challenge to the Snorlax who would oppose it. The two robust Pokemon wasted no time in charging at the other and engaging in a perilous wrestling match on the metal surface.

Belly threw headbutts whilst Machamp landed punches with his free arms but both powerful Pokemon struggled to find the advantage over the other. Lance's Pokemon disengaged in an effort to discern another strategy but Leaf's Snorlax rapidly resumed the wrestling. Then Belly attempted to disengage but the Machamp refused to stop the bout.

"Wind it!" Lance commanded his Pokemon who tried using his hands in a chopping motion into the Snorlax's stomach in an attempt to knock the wind from his belly. But Belly's thick fat simply absorbed most of the damage and Leaf's Pokemon replied with a tenacious headbutt which again the Machamp appeared to just simply endure.

Both trainers were at a loss as to how to turn the battle in their favour, until Lance's Machamp found an opening. The fighting type had managed to very slightly push Belly back and whilst the Snorlax was temporarily off balance he had struck. The Machamp swept a low kick towards his opponent's stumbling feet and Belly toppled over, falling with a crash into the metallic roof which withheld the hefty impact.

"Finish this!" Lance roared to his Pokemon, refusing to leave it to chance by first wanting to humiliate his foe. His Machamp responded by clambering on top of Leaf's Pokemon and began to pummel Belly's large stomach. Punch after punch rippled off the Snorlax's hefty belly.

"No!" Leaf wailed as Belly's head flopped to the side. Her Snorlax appeared lifeless with closed eyes and making no move to stop the seemingly victorious Machamp from pummelling the life from him. He had either given up or already had been defeated but Leaf failed to fell the soul-severing tear of losing a Pokemon. Then she realised that he hadn't been defeated at all. He had fallen asleep by taking a rest mid-battle.

She knew that a Snorlax was one of a few rare Pokemon that could seemingly fall asleep at any time and by doing so remain defenseless to a foe but at the same moment it would recover its health and energy. Then he snored.

Such was the power of the snore the Machamp flew backwards, crashing into the metal as if an invisible force-field of sound had batted him down. Then Belly woke up and jumped to his feet. The Snorlax wobbled towards the stricken Machamp who seemed too perplexed by the unfolding events to respond. Belly dropped and used his considerable weight to slam into the prone Machamp.

"Only one more left!" Leaf declared her victory prematurely to Lance whilst his Machamp suffocated within a tomb of the Snorlax's belly fat.

"Make no mistake, Leaf," Lance spat. "My final Pokemon is my most powerful dragon. A Pokemon famed across the land for being near invulnerable."

"You've lost this," Leaf gloated and watched her Snorlax climb to his feet, victorious. "I have six Pokemon left to your one. As a former Champion, you have disappointed me."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Lance said confidently and clasped his last Pokeball within his hand. "My Dragonite has never failed me." He released the dragon who remained standing on the metal floor and to Leaf looked almost friendly and cartoonish. It stood at least a full foot taller than its trainer and its muscular frame showed it weighed considerably more. But its teal-coloured wings seemed far too slight to carry the hefty creature and it's face bore a permanent smile and welcoming appearance. Leaf doubted the creature could even fly at all and if it could, then it would be extremely laborious whilst aloft.

Leaf chose to release Saur, her Aerodactyl, to face the humorous looking beast and use the aerial advantage her ancient Pokemon would offer to overwhelm the Dragonite.

Saur rose into the sky and glided through the air at impressive speeds in what was almost a taunt to the opposing Pokemon.

"Get him," Lance said and placed a hand on his Dragonite's back. "After everything, all I've ever been through, you have always been there for me. You have always saved me when I've needed it the most. Now once again I need you to win me this fight!" His Dragonite responded with a nod of its head then flapped its wings. It appeared to be a struggle to Leaf initially. The heavy Pokemon batted its small wings and slowly lifted itself skywards. Then dashed towards its foe.

The Dragonite moved at incomprehensible speeds and took Saur by stunned surprise. The dragon-type used its lightning-speed to rush into the Aerodactyl and cause Leaf's Pokemon to drop from the sky upon impact where the Dragonite simply roasted its falling foe with a blast of fire.

Lance celebrated as Leaf felt the tear in her heart upon losing her Pokemon and the fear of defeat beginning to well up inside of her. This Dragonite looked incredibly powerful, maybe even invincible, so it would take something different to defeat the dragon.

"Venom," Leaf thought suddenly. "The little bug is a genius! I won't defeat this Dragonite by might so the alternative is to beat it with wits!" She released the Venomoth into the skies to challenge Lance's Pokemon and immediately realised her error. Venom remained vulnerable from earlier and still hadn't fully recovered. And Lance's Dragonite took full advantage.

"Two down, four to go!" Lance rejoiced before his Pokemon had even made its move. But Leaf knew he was right. The Dragonite exhaled a beam of nightmarish energy of pure crimson and obliterated Venom within.

Leaf heaved and almost collapsed as she lost her second Pokemon in quick succession but managed to remain upright. She forced herself to carry on as if she was unimpeded by the losses of two of her friends in quick succession because that's what she had to do. She had to win this fight no matter what the cost. Lance had used the Pokemon he had always relied on. The friend that had always been there for him and the ally that always saved him in his time of need. Now Leaf would have to do the same.

She ushered Dino into the duel.

Leaf's Venusaur attempted the first strike by laying a trap of sleeping powder above himself incase the Dragonite tried to swoop. But the dragon was prepared for this and simply incinerated the pollen with a blast of fire which Dino only narrowly avoided himself.

Dino whipped out vines in an effort to capture the foe and lowered it to his own level. The Dragonite simply dodged the whips and replied with a thunderbolt summoned from the skies which hammered downwards towards the metal roof. But instead of colliding with the Venasaur, the lightning struck the roof as sparks of electricity flicked back up off the metal and surrounded Dino, trapping him in place as if he was paralysed. The Venusaur was on an island of metal enclosed by an ocean of electricity and one false step would end in his demise.

He was trapped as the Dragonite unleashed a blast of flame. The fire roared through the skies towards Leaf's Pokemon who spread his feet on the surface and aimed the plant above him to take the lethal flames. Leaf closed her welling eyes and waited for the pain to sear through her. The fires would consume her grass-type and her closest friend had no escape instead of attempting to walk through the death grid of electricity. Dino had simply stood his ground.

Leaf heard the howl of flames as they smothered her Pokemon then awaited the tearing feeling which never came. Until, with her eyes still closed, she listened to the same sound of powerful energy that annihilated Venom pierce the sky.

A loud cry of pain from both trainer and Pokemon filled the world. The closest friend, most trusted ally and greatest asset had been obliterated by a ray of powerful energy. A Pokemon who had seemed undefeatable until now had been defeated. Leaf opened her eyes and tears streamed down her face. She collapsed to her knees and exhaled her held breath. And watched the Dragonite fall from the sky.

Dino had absorbed the fires within the plant on his head and converted the flames into solar energy. Then blasted the attack in the form of a beam towards the Dragonite. The solar beam had decimated Lance's Pokemon and had won Leaf the battle. The electricity dissipated and the sparking death grid faded. She ran to her Venusaur and embraced him, wrapping her arms around her closest ally and friend.

"I thought I lost you," she whimpered to Dino who nuzzled his head against hers. "Thank you, thank you. You never let me down. You're always here for me and you always save me. Thank you," she blubbed to her Venusaur. After a few seconds she turned her vision towards Lance and saw the former Champion stroking his defeated Dragonite's head and sobbing as he held his fallen friend.

It was now mid-afternoon. Leaf had reached the final of the Pokemon tournament and the winner of the fight between Silver and Okaido would face her for the right to become Champion. She only had four Pokemon for that battle, and time was running out to stop her mother and save Kanto from Lyra and Mewtwo.

But she still had Belly, Club, Loch and Dino. Her and her four friends would try to both become Champion and save an entire region. Despite all the other friends they had lost, both human and Pokemon, they had never felt stronger. They had never felt more together than they did now.

Leaf squeezed Dino one last time then recalled her closest ally into his Pokeball. She descended the stairs to the Champion's battle arena and there she would await her opponent.

The battle to become Kanto's Champion was about to begin.


	20. Fate

**Chapter Nineteen - Fate**

He had helplessly observed his Raticate be possessed then killed by his own Pokemon on board the SS. Anne. He had watched Wally die and Erik be broken by Team Rocket. He had found out the truth of his lineage and the revelation that his entire progress through the tournament had been prearranged rather than through his tiresome efforts and his own capability. He had discovered that his own father had caused so much pain and suffering to himself, his sister, his friends and everyone in Kanto. He still felt sorrow whenever he remembered his late mother, Aria. And now Okaido had watched both his Pidgeot and his Exeggutor fall in battle to his half-brother, Silver, in the Test Centre's arena. Where Giovanni fell and Erik had revealed his new self."

He thought to himself why he still persisted in his quest to become Champion on almost a daily basis. Initially it was to prove himself to everyone, to show his family, friends and more importantly, himself, that he was the strongest trainer in Kanto. But now that all seemed futile. He now failed to feel the same desire or need to prove his prowess.

A violent roar distracted him from his thoughts. He watched Silver's Crobat twirl through the air to avoid a flamethrower from his Charizard then swipe at his fire-type with poisonous fangs, which only narrowly missed their target.

Okaido felt a searing urge to become Champion of Kanto still, though he struggled to pinpoint the exact reason. He had remained resilient to his father's promises and later, his coercion but again, he didn't know why. He felt lost inside himself and couldn't detect any motivation or reasoning for his feelings or actions.

"Yes!" Silver howled with glee. His Crobat had plunged poison fangs into the Charizard who tumbled from the sky in a screech of pain as the venom seeped into his bloodstream. Okaido felt a sear of pain as his closest friend struggled under the toxic torture and slightly panicked as fear of losing Erik's former Pokemon pulsed through him.

It had been difficult for Okaido to bond with the fire-type initially. When he had obtained the Pokemon as a Charmander two evolutions beforehand, the fire-type had been linked with its former trainer, Erik. The Charmander had been keen to rekindle the bond between itself and its former trainer but Okaido had slowly managed to turn the problematic relationship into a strong bond between the two of them through respect, friendship and eventually, compassion. And now his Charizard was having the life drain out of him as the Crobat sunk his fangs deeper into the dragon-like Pokemon's soft belly.

Okaido closed his eyes. He wasn't just in a battle with his half-brother Silver here. He was in a battle with himself. This was why his Charizard was struggling.

Beforehand, Okaido had felt invincible. His confidence mixed with his raw ability, courage and intelligence formed a formidable trainer. But the war in his own mind which started with the death of Wally and continued to this day had made him unsure and hesitant.

"Why do I persist?" he asked himself, refusing to open his eyes and view the carnage. His invisible link with his Charizard enabled him to feel his Pokemon's health rapidly fading. "Maybe Erik is right. Maybe the only way to proceed is to stop pain and loss. Why do I want to be Champion? Why do I keep going? There is no reason."

"Because you care," a voice entered his mind. Wally's voice. He remembered the words his young friend said to him as his life was leaving him back inside that hut when Sakaki had revealed the truth to the two of them. Words that until now, Okaido had buried within his memories as the horror of Wally's passing haunted him. "You act like you only think about yourself. But you don't. You care. You can't choose who your parents are or what life you're brought into. But you can choose what you do with it." Tears began to stream down Okaido's face. "You don't want to become Champion to prove yourself to everyone," Wally had said fiercely. "You want to become Champion so you can make this world a better place. To stop Team Rocket, unite the region and be a hero. You want people to love you because your mother died when you were young and your father was never around. That's why you act like a jerk, because deep down, you just want to be loved because you feel like your parents never loved you."

"Charizard," Okaido whispered as his Pokemon suffered. "Charizard!" he shouted. "Enough messing around. You get up off that floor now and you help me become Champion! We're going to make this world a better place and you!" He pointed to Silver, knowing that through sharing genetics and the same lack of love and care, that his brother must at least partially feel the same way. "You are not going to stop me!"

* * *

Leaf stood atop her podium and stared across the field of grass at the stand opposite her which remained empty. She awaited her competitor in the final battle to become Champion as the sun began to set on Kanto. Citizens of the region hastily took their seats as the stands around the stadium began to burgeon and the noise levels steadily rose. The screens at either end of the stadium still displayed the six-pointed grey star and a timer set at 5:00 but remained ready to tick down as soon as her foe took their place on the opposite podium and both contestants released their first duelist. Once the timer hit zero the battlefield would then switch randomly between the eighteen types of Pokemon and the arena would resemble an advantageous battleground for each individual type.

She thought of her Pokemon, the four which remained. Dino, Belly, Club and Loch were both healed and refreshed in order to be fully fighting fit for the final battle. She hoped for good luck in the stadium's ever-changing type and that her Pokemon would pull through in the vital moments.

Belly had been resilient in any battle and jolly outside of it. Club had almost overcome the death of her mother and succeeded in her quest for vengeance. Loch was a gift from the Servants and Leaf thought of him as a remnant of what little good was left in her mother. Dino was Dino. Her most valued friend and closest ally. The Pokemon she could rely on no matter what and the only family she felt she had left.

Leaf remained desperate to become Champion. She could unite the region as Erik had done before her and use it to stop Lyra from unleashing Mewtwo and destroying it. She would then allow Okaido and Samuel Oak to govern Kanto together with her and the triumvirate could bring peace and serenity to a region beset by suffering.

A door opened and slammed shut at the far end of the arena. A cheer erupted from the crowd which had filled the stands to the brim. Then Leaf's opponent ascended the podium and their eyes met.

"You ready?" she asked him.

"Always," Okaido replied and smiled.

"We've come so far," she called across. The fans around the stadium stood in silence, used to taunts and insults from the competitors but were now faced with a duo embracing a mutual respect.

"And lost so much," Okaido replied.

"We've always fought side by side," she said and the audience seemed confused by their combined speech.

"But now at the end we must face each other," Okaido said solemnly.

"We share the same goals. Whoever wins this battle shall unite Kanto and bring peace to it."

"The winner will remove the corrupt Archer from power and elect a fair and just governor."

"We shall purge the remnants of Team Rocket from the region and put smiles on the people's faces," Leaf said and closed her eyes. The dream felt so close.

"But first we must decide between us who shall perform all this. We must battle to justify our right to save Kanto," Okaido said and the audience remained confused but through murmurs of agreement they seemed on board with the duo's plans.

"Because we are the Resistance," Leaf announced to gasps from the audience. "But we are not the enemy. We are your friends. We took down Team Rocket who were led in secret by Giovanni and Courtney." She knew that all the cameras around the stadium would be broadcasting their messages to the region.

"Gabby was truthful," Okaido said and the audience grew bored. They had come here to see a battle not a speech. They began a chant of "Fight!" repeated over and over.

"We shall give you what you desire!" Leaf bellowed. "Both now and after this battle!"

"May the best trainer win!" Okaido shouted.

"And no holding back!" She felt goosebumps on her skin and her body trembled with excitement. The threat of her mother loomed over her but her entire focus was now on the forthcoming battle. She grabbed a Pokeball from her belt and then released it into the battlefield. Okaido threw in his own.

The timer began to tick down from 5:00 as both Loch and Gyarados faced each other on a plain of grass. The final battle had begun.

Loch slithered whilst Gyarados writhed along the field and both appeared uncomfortable and lacking mobility outside of their element. Leaf thought to recall Loch and unleash Belly into the fray but remained cautious as the arena's type could change to anything. Both Pokemon carefully approached the other and unleashed water blasts not designed solely to injure, but to test their opponent.

The majority of the audience murmured in discontent, uninspired by the initial caution exhibited from both water types who continued to unleash probing assaults on another. Okaido's Gyarados recoiled slightly at one of Loch's attacks to show the first sign of faltering from either Pokemon. Loch attempted to press the advantage by closing in on his foe but in doing so fell into the trap. The Gyarados had fooled Loch with a feint and now whipped his head towards the Lapras and crunched down with powerful jaws that ricocheted harmlessly off Loch's grey shell.

The crowd roared at the battle now. They watched Loch swerve out of the way of Gyarados knife-like teeth aimed at his neck then saw a retaliatory beam of ice from the Lapras narrowly miss and smash into the thick glass pane which separated the arena from the crowd to gasps and applause. The timer ticked down to two minutes as all present took their guesses at what type the stadium would transform to.

Gyarados pressed his newfound advantage and swiped his jaws downwards again and again to nip at Loch's neck and face. His teeth plunged into their target then released constantly as Leaf's Lapras received painful blow after savage attack. Loch saw only one option, retreat. He managed to slowly turn amidst more agonising bites then spat out a beam of ice which formed a path for him to slide along, almost back to his trainer.

"I'll switch you out," Leaf said to her Pokemon who had returned to the front of her podium but received a shake of the head from Loch in response. "But-" she began, but before she could finish her sentence Lapras shot out ice to freeze a blast of water from the Gyarados mid-air.

"Finish this!" Okaido encouraged his Pokemon who attempted to use the path of ice to follow the Lapras but instead just slipped and fell in a tangle on the floor. That was when Loch seized an opportunity. Leaf's Pokemon burst out ice like a frozen flamethrower and spread the frozen water across where the Gyarados straightened itself back upright. To find itself trapped on a field of ice.

"Got him!" Leaf said confidently. Any blasts of water from the Gyarados now would be frozen solid and the beast had no answer to Loch's ice attacks.

"No you haven't," Okaido responded and looked to above Leaf's head. She wondered what her friend had seen then realised suddenly as Loch's face turned from a picture of glee to a stare of horror.

The whole arena rumbled as the timer hit zero and the six pointed star flipped on the screen to an orange flame. The ice melted as fires licked up the sides of the stadium and a steady stream of lava carved through the grass which turned to molten rock which spread across the battlefield. Magma spat from the river which flowed through the arena's centre and hissed as it fizzled out on the rocks. Both Pokemon struggled in the intense heat of the arena. But whilst the Gyarados, who was now set free from his ice trap, sweated and toiled, Loch almost collapsed from exhaustion.

The Lapras attempted to shoot a beam of ice towards his foe but the attack simply melted before it reached its target. Leaf tried to shout encouragement but found the words stuck in her throat. She then attempted to think of a plan to counter the treacherous arena but before one formed in her mind the Gyarados unleashed a blast of water which steamed and sizzled through the air then scorched the Lapras, who then collapsed.

"No!" Leaf squealed and watched as the Gyarados struggled to muster enough energy to continue his assault. But he had no need to. The soul wrenching pain tore through Leaf like a knife. A mixture of pain, exhaustion and hopelessness had consumed Loch and left him lifeless on the molten ground. A roar erupted from Okaido's fans in the crowd, of which he seemed to have far far more than Leaf the foreigner.

"Oak! Oak! Oak!" screamed the chant from the gathered ensemble. Leaf felt despondent. She clasped onto the edge of the podium as sweat trickled down her forehead both from the heat and the panic which had set in.

"Keep fighting Leaf," Okaido said gently, his voice almost lost in the roar of the flames and hissing lava. "You've come so far. You don't stop now."

"You're right," she replied in a raised voice to ensure her friend heard her words. "To the end!" She weakly grasped Belly's Pokeball and released the Snorlax onto the battlefield, feeling that the normal-type would fare the best in these conditions. She thought that Okaido may switch Pokemon to one that suited the arena but saw his doubt as the battlefield could change to anything.

Sweat poured off the panting Belly who slammed his large stomach like a drum to taunt his opponent. The sound of slapping fat resounded around the arena louder than even the roar of the flames or the chant of the crowd. Then the Snorlax charged. A slow but relentless run towards the Gyarados who sent sizzling streams of water through the air towards the onrushing Belly but the attack simply smashed off the Snorlax's stomach to what seemed like no avail, although bright red burn marks appeared on the beast's belly.

Belly leapt towards the Gyarados before slamming his body into the water-type then rolling off and grappling the writhing creature, trying to force it into the stream of lava below. The fatigued Gyarados laboured in his efforts to survive whilst edging ever closer to the lethal stream of magma below. Fire spat up and sizzled off its skin as Belly managed to have almost half of the Gyarados' long body teetered over the lava.

"Saved again!" Blue shouted joyfully.

"You lucky-" Leaf began, before seeing what type the arena had changed to and gasped. The orange flame flipped around as the fires around the stadium died and the lava disappeared. The symbol on the screen changed to what Leaf had feared more than any other. A blue droplet of water.

The arena filled with water like a fishbowl as two small islands of rock rose on either side near both trainers' podiums. The newly formed mini-ocean must've been deep, because Leaf could no longer spot neither Gyarados nor Belly anywhere.

Long, anxious moments passed until suddenly, the Snorlax's head appeared above water as he desperately gulped oxygen. Belly's respite rapidly ended as he was dragged back down into the depths. More vital seconds passed until Okaido's Gyarados gracefully leapt out of the water to presumably gasp in air itself, its body in the shape of a crescent as it jumped out then returned just as quickly to the depths. Then another long wait.

Leaf closed her eyes. If she couldn't see what was happening then she'd try to feel it. She awaited that soul-tearing pain that accompanied the loss of a Pokemon. A hush had also swept over the crowd who waited in anticipation for Belly's defeat. A few more seconds passed and Leaf felt nothing. It was Okaido who informed her of the result.

"No!" he screamed then clenched his chest as jeers and boos resounded from the audience. Leaf guessed that she had no fans at all. But that didn't matter, because Belly had resurfaced and was gulping in oxygen by the mouthful. The Gyarados had somehow been defeated in the depths.

"Belly can swim!" Leaf declared to Okaido and the audience who seemed shocked at the fact a Snorlax could swim.

"So can my Rhydon!" Okaido said in response and unleashed his next Pokemon onto one of the small stone islands. The large grey creature appeared to be immensely powerful. It looked to be constructed entirely out of rock with a ridged spine and armoured plates across its body. It had two small but muscular legs with a sweeping tail and its head featured a protruding spike above a much large horn.

The Rhydon leapt into the pool of water where it began to trade blows with Belly whilst both Pokemon spent the majority of their energy trying to stay afloat. The duo struggled with mobility through the mini-ocean but still managed to weakly swap punches, headbutts and horn attacks as they failed to generate much power behind their strikes within the water.

"Come on get lucky again!" Okaido shouted as the timer ticked down to a minute with both Pokemon still attempting to gain an advantage on the other. The crowd once again grew impatient and discontent at the pathetic pummeling that both contestants provided them. The minute seemed to drag on for an hour before the arena once again switched types. The droplet of water twirled around on the screen to be replaced by a purple skull and crossbones. Poison.

The water drained from the arena and was replaced by a sickly-yellow colour dirt which flicked up dust. Large pits of purple poisonous liquid emerged around the stadium that bubbled and hissed violently and black sludge began to ooze down the sides of the arena's walls.

Rhydon and Belly grappled each other, trying to wrestle their opponent into one of the pools of poison which spat toxic liquid that acted like an acid and burned each fighter. Belly seemed to edge his opponent on strength but Okaido's Pokemon could poke at the Snorlax with his sharp horn, leaving the two evenly matched.

"Disengage!" Okaido commanded his fighter who read his trainer's thoughts. The Rhydon released his grasp then rapidly dodged out of the way of Belly who stumbled slightly, enough for Okaido's Pokemon to sweep his tail around and trip the Snorlax who tumbled next to a pit of poison which spat acid at the fallen creature. As Belly struggled to his feet with acid burning him and the intoxicating fumes rising from the pit causing him to lose his balance, the Rhydon charged, horn first.

Leaf closed her eyes and awaited the feeling. She considered her final two Pokemon, Dino and Club, could they win her this fight? Okaido still had Rhydon as well as his Alakazam and Charizard. She was outmatched. Still she waited. She heard a grunt and a shrill cry of pain as the duo collided but no pain came just yet. She refused to open her eyes, she couldn't watch. She heard a huge splash as one of the Pokemon hit the liquid. Then it came. The pain hit her like a truck and pulled at her heart as if it was being torn out of her chest. Belly had fallen, and the crowd loved it.

Roars of jubilation met rumbustious applause and cheers as Blue took the lead once again. He had three Pokemon remaining compared to Leaf having just Club and Dino, and it would be the former she turned to first. She had lost many friends in the past few hours. Saur, Venom, Loch and Belly had been close to her, especially the latter two, and she felt agony stabbing at her chest as she remembered her fallen allies.

Now only two of her Pokemon remained. Club and Dino were her favourites, the ones she had always felt closest too and she was unsure if she'd be able to mentally cope with losing both her Marowak and Venusaur as well. She released the former into the poisonous field of battle.

"Pull through for me, Club," she whispered. "This is it. Everything we have been fighting for," she said louder. "If we win this fight then we can destroy the Archer and the remnants of Team Rocket. We can finally achieve your vengeance." Club heard her words although she didn't turn her head. She eyed up the Rhydon as toxic liquid hissed, bubbled and spat then charged at her much larger opponent with bone club raised.

Club bashed the Rhydon with her club, using her superior speed to avoid punches and horn drills whilst continually smashing her weapon against Okaido's Pokemon. But to Leaf's dismay the club harmlessly ricocheted off the Rhydon's rocky skin. Club stopped her assault for a brief moment to consider her approach and it was then that her opponent seized the opportunity.

Rhydon grasped Club in its two thick arms and lifted her from the ground. Okaido's Pokemon span on the spot then released its held captive to launch the Marowak across the arena. Club flew over the first pit of poison which seemed to try and reach up to grab her as it spat acidic liquid which singed and burned her. She landed just past the pool with a crash then rolled helplessly with the momentum towards another poison pit.

"No!" Leaf squealed. She held her hands to her mouth and tears formed in her eyes as Club tumbled towards the lethal pool. The Marowak's eyes widened as she sighted her impending doom. However, instead of accepting her fate, her fight was not yet done. She reached out with her bone club and used it to scrape across the ground as a counteracting force. She slid towards the pit but her bone club achieved its desired effect and stopped her just before the pool to Leaf and Club's simultaneous sigh of relief. But their joy was short lived.

Rhydon had followed her plight. The beast loomed above the Marowak and collected her in his arms once more, ready to launch her into the poison pit. Leaf clenched her fists and felt the sweat trickling down her face as the crowd roared in anticipation. Then Rhydon swung his arms back with Club clenched in his hands and threw the Marowak to her doom.

"No!" Leaf once again screamed as time seemed to turn to slow motion as her friend fell. They locked eyes as the Marowak stared into her soul. Club's fight was still not yet done, she hadn't achieved her true revenge yet, not until Team Rocket had been perished from Kanto. But as she tumbled towards the pit, the chance of vengeance was to be stolen from her.

"No!" Okaido howled. "You lucky-" he began before realising that Leaf was benefiting from the same twist of fate as he had earlier. The timer had reached 0:00 and the skull and crossbones flipped on the board to a cyan-coloured snowflake. An ice-type arena.

The pit of poison froze over where Club bounced off the sheet of ice with no more than a painful bump. Ice began to cover the entire ground and started to snake up the walls of the arena. Small icebergs rose from the sheet of ice and icicles began to form on the arena's roof.

Rhydon pummelled the ground where Club had been as the Marowak slid out of the way. His titanic fists smashed against the ice but to Leaf's surprise, no cracks appeared within the solid sheet.

Club used the lack of friction to skate across the arena at frightening speeds but failed to control her direction and ending up crashing into icebergs more than once. The Rhydon struggled to hold his footing at first but slowly managed to stand upright without slipping, however, he still remained immobile. This is where Club could press her advantage.

The Marowak tentatively gained control of her movements and continually swiped at the motionless Rhydon with her bone club, causing no damage but succeeding in unnerving her foe. Club slid in for another strike but by this time the Rhydon had gained more control of himself and grabbed the Marowak as she closed in for the assault. He lifted her so the two duelists were face to face and seemed to consider what he would now do with his captive. Club reacted by launching her bone-club at the Rhydon's head but to Leaf's surprise, she missed. The club flew harmlessly away as the Rhydon seemed to formulate an idea with Okaido's instruction. He held the Marowak below his foot and moved to stomp on her. His bulk combined with the solid ice below would surely crush Club below his stamp. Leaf just smiled. Because Club had won the duel.

Icicles rained down like hail from the ceiling and pierced the Rhydon from all angles as the Marowak took refuge underneath the beast. Her bone club hadn't missed at all, she had launched it at the icicles on the roof and like a boomerang it now returned to her and she slid out from underneath the collapsing and defeated Rhydon.

Stunned silence swept across the audience once more. A few jeers and boos tried to cut through the feeling of tension throughout the stadium. Both finalists were left with their final two Pokemon.

Okaido appeared devastated with the loss of his friend but forced himself to carry on through sheer willpower. He released his Alakazam into the battlefield as the timer ticked down to just thirty seconds left of ice. Club and her psychic type opponent, the final evolution of Kadabra, waited cautiously in a seemingly mutual agreement to allow the timer to tick down and change stadium type. Both in hopes that the next arena would benefit them.

After a few moments, the cyan snowflake flipped over to reveal a circular head with two large and round holes for eyes. Two ghostly hands appeared underneath the head which was black on a field of dark purple. The sheet of ice disappeared and the walls turned black whilst all the lights flicked off to leave the arena in darkness. A glass pane rose up above Leaf's podium where from her side of the glass she could see the arena through infrared panels which granted her vision of the scene. She assumed that the crowd's side of the glass wall would have the same viewing capabilities, as would Okaido. But for Alakazam and Club, they were in total darkness. Eerie and disturbing sounds began to echo around the arena which would further unnerve both fighters within. The screens were lit up at either end of the battlefield so that both contestants and crowd could see the timer ticking down.

Alakazam, as a psychic user, took full advantage. Leaf knew that the Pokemon could sense Club's presence and that Okaido's psychic type would also know that the Marowak would be nervous and disoriented within the darkness. So the Alakazam used mind tricks to further the damage.

Club screeched in agony and collapsed to the ground. The Marowak refused to look up and see whatever image was being conjured up to her. The image, Leaf knew, would be her mother.

"Stay strong, Club!" Leaf bellowed but her words seemingly failed to penetrate the blackness as her Pokemon clasped hands to her head and attempted to shake out the terrifying visions. Leaf tried to imagine the horrifying sights her friend must've been seeing. From the memory of her mother dying or the Marowak seeing her parent chide her for the path she had chosen.

"Now attack!" Okaido roared in encouragement to his Pokemon. The Alakazam had twisted and tortured Club's mind and now it was time for the psychic-type to strike. Okaido's Pokemon launched a wave of psychic energy which was invisible to the naked eye but seemed to strike the Marowak and send her sprawling across the floor in the darkness. The Alakazam followed its strike with a lilac-coloured beam of energy which surged into Club as she lay stricken and helpless on the ground.

"Come on!" Leaf shouted to her ailing fighter. "Don't let the mind tricks defeat you. We have been through so much! We just need this one final push then vengeance will be ours!"

Her Marowak responded to her words as she always did. Club clambered weakly to her feet when her foe resumed its psychological assaults then stopped in horror at something Leaf failed to see. Club looked terrified at whatever invisibly loomed over her. Leaf's Pokemon had always overcome any challenges set before her through sheer willpower and a desire for revenge but whatever image the Alakazam had conjured up was now crushing Club's spirit.

Leaf closed her eyes and tried to see what her Marowak was seeing. What could Club be so spooked by that she appeared to be frozen in place.

"Could it be the Gengar that had killed her mother?" Leaf asked herself. "No, because that would fuel my Club's rage."

She opened her eyes tentatively to see the Alakazam continue its assault by following up with more purple beams and invisible psychic waves which sent Club sprawling across the ground again. She knew her Marowak must surely be close to defeat.

"Could it be the scene of her mother's death replaying over and over?" Leaf thought to herself once more. "No, because again that would fuel my Club's rage. And it couldn't be the image of her mother either for the same reason. What could steal her spirit? Nothing so far has completely crushed her like this."

It was as the Alakazam approached the Marowak that Leaf realised and gasped in shock. Club attempted to climb to her feet and failed, her strength had been depleted and her willpower sapped.

"No," Leaf whispered. "After all this time." She leaned forward and pressed her hands on her podium for support. "The one thing that has kept my Club going hasn't been a quest for vengeance or a desire for revenge," she said in realisation. "The defeat of her mother broke her, but it wasn't her willpower or her anger that caused her to get back up and keep fighting." She watched as the Alakazam pressed its hands to her Marowak's skull. For a moment Club seemed to regain sight as she stared straight at her trainer with tear filled eyes. Then smiled.

"She's smiling," Leaf said and felt her own eyes fill with tears. "Because what kept her going wasn't vengeance. What picked her up wasn't a desire for revenge. What saved her from perpetual darkness wasn't her fight against Team Rocket. It was me. Because I became her new mother. She wanted to fight for me. She's smiling to say thank you." Tears streamed down Leaf's face as the light faded from Club's eyes and the Marowak passed from this life to join her real mother in the next.

Leaf collapsed to her knees and wallowed in her fits of tears. All this fighting to save a region so corrupt and she was losing all the friends she had made doing so. She had made so many sacrifices and was now only left with one Pokemon. Her closest and oldest ally, Dino. And if she felt like she was in so much agony inside that her heart wanted to burst out of her chest to escape her pain. She couldn't bear to think what anguish would torment her if she lost her Venusaur as well.

She looked up through tear-blurred vision and saw that the timer had stopped as it awaited her next challenger, allowing her a brief moment to compose herself before she battled Okaido with her final Pokemon.

"Leaf," Okaido shouted. "I'm sorry, I really am." He waited a few moments for a response but Leaf was too downtrodden to reply. "Once we unite this region we can stop all this pain. I know this final battle is horrific. We are both losing all our friends simply to entertain. But to save everyone it's something we have to do. However horrible it all is. These people will only respect and follow a Champion!"

"Save everyone," Leaf whispered to herself and thought of Lyra's impending release of Mewtwo. "I can't stop now," she said and clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "For Club," she started as she slowly climbed to her feet. "For Belly, for Loch, for Saur and for Venom." She clasped Dino's Pokeball in her hand then launched it towards the blackness. "For Heiko and Wally. For Erik and Archie. For everyone we have sacrificed and lost! It can't all be in vain. I need to stop my mother and save this region."

Dino roared in approval of her speech where the Alakazam began to play the same mind tricks he had on Club to the Venusaur. It had the same initial effect. Leaf was unsure of what her friend was seeing but Dino began to shake his head violently in a futile effort to expel the dark thoughts. She presumed her Pokemon was seeing the faces of those they had lost during their journey, allies, friends and family.

"Come on Dino not you too," Leaf whimpered. "Please not you too," she began to sob quietly but somehow it was as if her Venusaur heard her. Dino snapped out of the psychological stranglehold as the timer hit zero and the arena began to morph once more.

The symbol flipped to an aqua-blue sphere with a white feather in its centre to denote a flying-type arena. The darkness receded to be replaced by a blinding brightness by a huge light on the roof resembling a sun. The walls changed back to see-through glass as an enormous hole appeared in the floor which encompassed the entire arena aside from two islands of rock which stemmed from below and held both Pokemon aloft.

Dino and Okaido's Alakazam were isolated to their two tiny islands where any fall would be lethal. Leaf's opponent looked tempted to switch in his Charizard who would prosper in the open battlefield before realising that his Alakazam was unable to leave the zone of battle and return to his side.

Dino tried to shift his weight to balance himself better on his rock but the island was so small he had to remain almost motionless in fear for slipping and falling. The Alakazam had slightly more room to maneuver as his slighter frame enabled it to balance itself. The psychic-type then launched its psychological tirade in an attempt to disorientate and destabilize the Venusaur. This time, however, Dino was ready and able to push through the mind attacks.

"Go Dino!" Leaf screamed in encouragement to her oldest friend who responded by shooting out leaves like razor blades towards the Alakazam in an effort to push his foe off its island. Okaido's Pokemon simply danced to avoid the razors, his slight frame agilely spinning aside of any lethal leaves before he resumed his mind attacks.

Dino closed his eyes as the strain became ever more demanding on him to push away the mental torture. The Alakazam seized his advantage and launched invisible waves and psychic beams of energy in an relentless assault towards the Venusaur. Dino's feet began to slip off the edge as he struggled to resist both physical and mental strikes pummelling him.

"Please Dino," Leaf whimpered. "Please don't fall. I can't lose you too. I won't be able to bear it." Her oldest friend remained resilient in the mind but his body was also receiving constant assaults. Dino was edged further backwards as an invisible wave smashed against him. Then a psychic energy beam crashed into his body causing him to teeter further over the edge. After the Alakazam pushed the onslaught further with another beam, Leaf's Venusaur slipped. His rear legs dangled over the side so he whipped out vines which wrapped around the island's far side as he held on with all his might.

"Keep going!" Okaido shouted. Dino released a plethora of razor leaves once more in an attempt to buy himself some time. His desperate attack resulted in the Alakazam being shifted off balance and momentarily stop his dual assault of mind and body. Dino climbed back onto his island and Leaf breathed a sigh of relief as her Venusaur returned to fragile safety.

"And again!" Okaido roared and his Pokemon obliged. The Alakazam resumed his assaults but this time Dino responded. He launched more leaves towards the psychic-type who simply danced around them. But the distraction worked. Okaido's Pokemon's focus was fixed on the initial assault, so much so that Dino could whip out vines and wrap them around his foe who seemed unaware of the counterattack until it was too late. Dino held his victim within his grasp then succeeded in dragging the Alakazam off his island by using his vines and then released Okaido's Pokemon to plummet to its death.

"No!" Okaido screamed in both mental and physical agony.

Both duelists were now reduced to their one remaining Pokemon as the timer froze at nine seconds left. It would be Dino against Charizard in an arena of an unpredictable type and the winner of the battle would ensure their trainer became Champion of Kanto.

Okaido's fiery serpent flapped his wings and for a moment Leaf thought the Charizard was going to launch an aerial assault of flame, tooth and claw but instead the creature aired caution and awaited the change of arena. That was a mistake.

The timer hit zero and the symbol in the screen's centre turned once more. The light blue morphed to an emerald green and the feather transformed into a leaf. The arena was to become a grass-type battlefield which would heavily favour Dino.

A floor of mud and grass rose as vines began to climb up the arena's walls. The Charizard hovered above what now was a small forest in the battleground's centre as long grass sprouted to cover the rest of the arena. It grew so large that it concealed Dino within as his opponent soared blindly above the vegetation.

Leaf had watched the growing grass conceal her Venusaur and now observed Okaido's Pokemon anxiously search the undergrowth and miniature forest for any sight of its opponent within the perilous plants. The fire-type glided around the stadium and kept a keen eye for any sign of movement. Then it came suddenly and painfully. Leaves shot out from within the long grass which cut and tore at the Charizard's skin before vines whipped out and lashed at it like a cane. Okaido's Pokemon wailed as the vines wrapped around his frame then attempted to pull him down into a grassy tomb.

"Break free!" Okaido cried as his favourite friend writhed and wailed in a futile attempt to escape the vines which were wrapped around the dragon like a snake. Dino pulled with all his might in his efforts to drag the Charizard to his level and was slowly succeeding. "Or don't," Okaido said calmly to Leaf's initial puzzlement. Her confusion swiftly eroded once the Charizard realised his trainer's plan.

Dino's opponent suddenly allowed himself to be slowly pulled towards the grass where he turned in his prison of vines to face the Venusaur's position in the undergrowth. Then he unleashed fire.

Whilst the advantage of the grass type arena was that it featured a plethora of trees which formed a miniature forest and swathes of long grass for Pokemon to conceal themselves and grass types to thrive. The downside was how flammable the stadium had become. Now faced with the Charizard's storm of fire, the entire arena burst into flames.

Dino released his grip and ran as fire soaked the grass and spread like a disease of smoke and heat. The Venusaur sprinted to the only safe refuge that hadn't rapidly been engulfed by flames and entered the forest. Fire licked up and spat at the trees which slowly joined in burning like the grass but thankfully for Leaf, at a much slower rate. This enabled Dino to hide within the trees whilst the Charizard hovered above, adding fuel to the fires underneath him.

Woodsmoke caused Leaf to cough and splutter as sweat poured off her, both from the tension and the heat. She watched her Venusaur nervously back away from the roaring flames as the treetops burned and leaked spits of fire onto the forest ground where the flames sizzled and died on the floor of mud and dirt.

Face with such a perilous prospect, a Pokemon would usually prefer to dig in and survive the remaining two minutes on the timer. Dino, however, attempted to counterattack. At first he shot leaves towards the Charizard but the razor-like plants were simply incinerated by the flames as they tried to pass through the treeline. The Venusaur then attempted to launch spores of sleeping powder to rise into the air but again, the attack was stopped by the fires in the treetops. As the vines were part of him, Dino knew he couldn't use his whips to attack the Charizard as he would only damage himself in the process. So instead, the Venusaur spread out his feet and began to collect energy from the flames.

The Charizard had thus far failed in his efforts to attack his foe through the tree line as his flamethrowers had been buffeted by the flaming treetops. Okaido's Pokemon had also attempted to swoop in from the sides but struggled to maneuver through the trees and risked leading himself into an ambush. Whilst the flames which engulfed the arena had saved the Charizard from certain extinction, it had also caused an apparent stalemate between the battling pair.

Until a beam of solar energy crashed through the trees and smashed into the hovering fire-type. Dino had used the energy emitted by the flames and transformed that solar power into an attack of his own. The beam had surged through the treetops and collided with the Charizard with such force that Okaido's Pokemon was launched through the air where he crashed into the glass pane at the arena's side. He recovered just in time for the timer to hit zero and the arena to change once again.

The symbol switched from emerald green to yellow as the leaf changed to a lightning bolt. Flames died and were replaced by an aluminium floor and the vines on the walls were taken over by volts of electricity visibly flowing through the walls. The metal surface only took up a large portion of the arena because underneath the floor lay a pit of electricity which sparked and growled as it greedily awaited either the Venusaur or the Charizard as its victim.

The Charizard had landed on the metal as it panted heavily. Dino had wounded his opponent greatly with his solar attack but without the required energy, he was unable to assault his foe with another beam. Instead, the Venusaur whipped out vines, wrapped them around the Charizard then lifted the fire-type into the air where he attempted to use the solid metal flooring to his advantage.

Sparks flicked up from underneath and Leaf knew her Venusaur must've been tempted to launch the Charizard towards the electrical pit but she knew that Dino didn't have the strength to hurl Okaido's Pokemon that far. The fires from the grass arena had sapped away most of Dino's vigor, so instead the Venusaur chose to slam the Charizard onto the metal flooring.

Leaf and Okaido gasped in unison. The metal surface wasn't a floor at all, it was a plate. And the metal plate creaked and groaned treacherously before lowering suddenly. Leaf thought the aluminium was going to plummet into the electrical pit with both Pokemon on board but luckily it stopped just short. The plate held on by a whisker just above the lethal voltage where sparks and bolts of electrical energy now zapped upwards and spilt onto the metal flooring.

In his panic Dino had removed his vine shackles from the Charizard who now feebly rose up into the air and burst flame towards the Venusaur. Dino recoiled as the fires scorched him and retaliated with razor leaves which tore at his opponent who flinched and threatened to plummet to the surface but somehow still held himself upright.

The battle held perilously close as both Pokemon's energy stores were almost entirely depleted and one wrong move would send one of the two duelists plummeting into the pit of electricity below.

"Use your aerial advantage!" Okaido commanded his fighter.

"Stay strong," Leaf pleaded with Dino as hopelessness began to reach up from the pit of her stomach and crush her heart. Because Okaido was right, his Pokemon held the skies and that was all that mattered. The timer still had just under three minutes left and she doubted either Pokemon would survive the entirety of that. This was it now, the final arena for the final battle between the two duelist's favourite Pokemon.

In response to his trainer, the Charizard soared above the creaking surface. The fire-type swooped down from above and use his weight to crash into the metal plate which groaned ominously and teetered to the side. One more blow would send the floor plummeting into the electrical pit.

The Charizard rose into the air once more where Dino desperately tried to stop his foe with razor leaves but the fire-type incinerated the attack with flames, then dropped again. Okaido's Pokemon hoped to smash into the surface feet-first then bounce off the metal plate which would then be electrified and Dino would have no escape.

"Dino!" Leaf screamed as her heart attempted to burst from her chest and the audience roared in anticipation. The Charizard swooped once more and aimed for the metal plate as tears filled Leaf's eyes and Okaido watched on mournfully at his friend's demise. Dino's foe neared the plate and he released one final roar, a mighty sound which shook the arena and threatened to lower the flooring itself. He whipped at vines in a desperate last attempt to save himself and to everyone's surprise, he did. The vines wrapped around the Charizard just as he was about to crash into the plate and suspended him just above the surface.

"Charizard!" Okaido cried out. Dino attempted to hurl the Charizard into the pit of electricity below but failed to muster the energy to do so. Leaf froze and the world turned to slow motion once more. Because the Charizard unleashed a flamethrower. The fires scorched Dino's vines and caused the Venusaur to withdraw them as he wailed in agony. The Charizard, having been released from their grasp, now tumbled towards the metal flooring where his weight crashed into its surface and sent the plate plummeting into the electrical pit with both Pokemon on top.

"No!" Both trainers screamed in synchronisation. The crowd roared and screamed. Not only because of the carnage and mayhem, but because the Charizard had managed to flap his wings and escape the pit.

Hundreds, if not thousands of volts streamed into Dino who was held in paralysis as the electricity tortured him. The large grass-type and Leaf's best friend was rendered helpless as the life was torn from him. Okaido's Charizard limply rose up high and swooped around for a final breath of flame which, combined with the electricity, would extinguish the life from Leaf's immobile Venusaur.

"Fight back!" Leaf screamed in between sobs. "Fight back! Fight back!" she pleaded, but her Venusaur could neither hear her nor move as the electricity strangled the life from him. She looked at the timer in desperation but still over a minute remained, far too long for her Pokemon to withstand.

Leaf thought back through her journey. She began as a young girl from Johto who travelled to Hoenn to do some good. From the warrior that had emerged in Kanto where she had made friends, then lost almost all of them. She remembered Erik and what had happened to him. He had been a force for a good and a fighter to save the world. Now he was a villain who tried to remove loss from the world because of all the pain he had been through.

She looked back and remembered Wally. A bright young trainer who just wanted to make friends and do some good like she did. He was taken from the world because he was just a pawn in Giovanni's game. She looked to Okaido and remembered the arrogant young trainer he used to be. A boy who wanted to prove a point was now a man just wanting to do some good. All of them, Erik, Okaido, Wally and herself. They all strived towards the same goals, to help people and release the region from Team Rocket's tyrannical stranglehold.

Then she thought of herself, and all she had lost. All the friends she had made and lost in battle to fight some war against Team Rocket that didn't matter to her as much as her friends did. She had lost so many. The likes of Fin, a hopeless Magikarp who had turned into her saviour. Or Fury, the Mankey who fought savagely just to impress her. Or Rex and Fang, the young lovers she had taken from their homes just to fight in some meaningless war. Of Club, the Cubone she had rescued who had seen her as a hero. But deep down Leaf knew she wasn't one, she wasn't the hero this world needed. Just another pawn in the game.

She looked to Dino. Her favourite Pokemon who had been with her the entire journey and had never left her side nor let her down. He was moments away from being taken from this world, simply because Leaf wanted to prove herself as the best trainer.

Her mother was set to destroy this region and all she had done was remove Team Rocket from power. Her friends, human and Pokemon, had made so many sacrifices. They had thrown their lives down to help Leaf in her quest to make the world a better place and as she watched Dino perish, she realised that their was one sacrifice still left to make. Because there was only one option left.

"I surrender!" Leaf announced and recalled Dino into his Pokeball. It was against the rules to do so but she didn't care. She had forfeited the battle.

Okaido was the new Champion of Kanto and Leaf skulked from the arena with Dino nestled safety in his capsule.

As the clock struck midnight across Kanto, Lyra would be unleashing Mewtwo on the world. All Leaf could do now was prepare. For she would be the final sacrifice.


	21. Sacrifice

**Chapter Twenty - Sacrifice**

Night fell across Kanto and shrouded the region in a darkness that would resound across the nation and be spoken of in hushed tones until the end of time. The moon held position high in the centre of the sky and cast down a small ray of light in a sea of blackness. It was just like the small flicker of hope that Leaf still held. That dawn would come and the denizens of Kanto would live to see it. Because Lyra had unleashed Mewtwo on Cerulean City, Leaf knew there was only one way to cease the murderous chaos. To stop her mother, no matter what the cost.

"Leaf!" a voice called after her as she sprinted from Indigo Plateau.

"Don't stop me!" she screamed as her heart raced and tears poured wearily down her face. She stopped to turn and see her friend approach her. Okaido Oak, the new Champion of Kanto.

"You can't do this alone, let me help you," he pleaded with her. "Let my grandfather help us."

"You two have work to do," she snapped. "You need to remove Archer from power and unite the region."

"There won't be a region left to unite!" he said angrily. "Not if you try and do this alone. I know your Venusaur has been healed but you and Dino can't do this yourselves."

"I know what must be done," she snapped again, her voice softer this time. "As do you and Professor Oak. Now go celebrate your victory."

"There will be no celebration," Okaido said sharply. Her and the man formerly known as Blue had been through so much together, she had even grown to care for him. Which was why she refused to risk his life, he was the one hope of the nation and as Champion he could unite the region and remove Team Rocket's toxic remnants once and for all.

"You and your grandfather need to make this region a better place. I will stop my mother because I am the only one who can."

"Leaf-" Okaido stopped as he tried to find the words but she already knew he had been defeated. "Come back to me afterwards, we will solve this region's troubles together. Me, you and Gramps."

She tried to think of a reply then burst into fits of tears where Okaido moved to embrace her. He held her whilst she sobbed then wiped the tears from her cheeks. After everything, he was all she had left. The only friend who remained which wasn't Dino, her last Pokemon.

"Let me at least take you," he said and took his Charizard's Pokeball from his pocket. "I promise that once I drop you off in Cerulean that I will go and remove Archer from power."

"Okay," she sobbed and wiped her eyes. "I used to think you were such a jerk," she said and giggled slightly.

"And I used to think you were a little bi-" he began then remembered the state she was in. "A little bit annoying," he corrected himself quickly. "Guess you're alright though."

She laughed softly then looked over her shoulder. Indigo Plateau rested underneath Mt. Silver, an enormous mountain which loomed over the region of Kanto and separated it from its neighbouring nation of Johto. From her vantage point she could see large swathes of the land she was trying to save below. Viridian City was lit up like a beacon in the darkness and Pewter City was awash with lamplight. Pallet Town still had a few homes with their lights left on too. Despite being located in the centre of Kanto, even from the distance of Indigo Plateau she could see Cerulean City. Because it appeared to her that the entire city was engulfed by fire.

* * *

Above the carnage Leaf and Okaido had the perfect view of desolation and despair. Lyra stood at the mouth of the cave and watched the Mewtwo wreak devastation and death from Nugget Bridge. The creature looked almost like a grey alien to Leaf. He had stood at the height of a tall man with two legs and arms with three spherical fingers and toes at the end of each. His peculiarly shaped head was topped by two blunt horns and his eyes were violet as if he was in a state of possession. But Leaf knew that the mystical creature was the possessor and not under the control of anyone else. Finally, she remarked that the Pokemon had a very long purple tail which snaked around its back.

Mewtwo was a psychic type Pokemon. Leaf knew this because he was obliterating any Pokemon who opposed him with mind attacks and using possession to control any foe who survived the psychological onslaught. He had exploded electrics and flammable containers in the city as citizens screamed in panic whilst their homes blazed and their friends were mentally suffocated by the creature who tortured humans and Pokemon without discrimination. Mewtwo was the ultimate weapon of war, a killing machine with no conscience and a murderer who wished to destroy anyone or anything in sight.

Leaf looked back to her mother who she noticed was hiding from the creature as if the Mewtwo would decimate her as well if he had the chance. Then she saw the glint of a Megastone within Lyra's hand. A device to make the death machine into an unstoppable force.

"You can't do this alone!" Okaido shouted once more and tried to raise his voice above the explosions, screams and wails. There must have been close to a hundred trainers, citizens and other Pokemon users battling the beast and all were failing.

"Let me down here!" Leaf yelled.

"Leaf-" Okaido began before another explosion cut him off and lit up the night's sky. Charizard landed in Cerulean City just to the south of Nugget Bridge where Leaf leaped off and released Dino to protect her.

"I don't care what you say!" Okaido yelled and began to jump off his Pokemon before Dino slapped him with a vine.

"Get out of here!" Leaf cried. "I'll save this region, you just worry about uniting it!" Okaido made a move to argue but Dino raised a vine once more.

"Good luck," he said wistfully. "But promise that you'll come back to me and we will rule this region together."

"You've been a good friend," she said. "The best I could have hoped for." She walked away to the bridge as Okaido shouted after her, begging her to come back.

She trekked through piles of defeated Pokemon and their fallen trainers as fires whipped up and roared around her. A line of trainers stood at the end of the bridge, the warriors of the region. Citizens panicked and fled the scene all around her, abandoning their burning homes and all their possessions to preserve their lives.

"She's mad," Leaf thought to herself. "My mother, why would she do this?" she considered. What would drive a person to unleash this level of destruction.

"Hold the line!" a woman squealed. "If we lose the bridge we lose the city and everyone in it!" Leaf recognised the red-haired leader as Misty. The town's mayor and former Gym Leader. She was leading the group of countless trainers as they sent their Pokemon to the slaughter in a desperate attempt to save their city and the lives of the people within it.

Leaf pushed through with Dino alongside her. She now saw the hundreds of Pokemon putting up a hopeless final stand. Some stood just before the bridge and others had made their way onto it where they faced a group of possessed creatures led by the Mewtwo.

"Leaf!" Misty cried as she noticed her pushing her way through the ensemble. "Thank goodness you're here!"

"Out of my way," Leaf growled and then saw Bill's Cottage burnt to a crisp in the distance. Its defences had been turned to blackened and charred skeletal remains and the young scientist was now attempting to flank the Mewtwo from behind with a group of Pokemon from Storage. There must have been around fifty, from Raticate to Muk to Weezing and Golbat. All Pokemon that had been frequently used by Team Rocket.

"So Bill was working for Rocket all along," Leaf surmised. "The whole assault on Storage was all an elaborate setup after all. Another one of my many failures," she said and sighed. Dino reached out with a vine and stroked her cheek where she then moved to press her head against her Pokemon's. "This is it," she said to him where the Venusaur replied by simply nuzzling her with his wide face.

She turned back to the action. On the bridge a possessed Golem pummeled an Onix. A Pidgeotto attempted an aerial strike on a possessed Ninetales but the creature was rapidly shot down by a blast of water from a possessed Gyarados in the lake below the bridge. Leaf turned her attention to Mewtwo and almost screamed in glee as the crowd behind her began to cheer.

Bill was winning.

The flanking attack had worked and his army of Pokemon had begun to strike at the Mewtwo directly. Leaf wouldn't be needed after all. The Mewtwo had been swarmed, he defeated a Raticate with a mind attack then released a beam of psychic energy towards a Golbat but the horde slowly overpowered him.

The pink eyes of the possessed Pokemon on the bridge began to flicker then slowly fade as the battle stopped suddenly and the din of war receded to be replaced by the roaring flames behind them.

"No!" Leaf screamed and her heart sank. "Lyra!" she pleaded. "Mother!" But it was too late. Because her mother had taken the opportunity to sprint from the shadows and press the Megastone to the Mewtwo's head. A dark shroud engulfed the creature as Lyra removed the Megastone and went back into hiding in a nearby bush.

Tears rolled down Leaf's face as hope escaped her. She almost collapsed and thought to throw herself in the river but as always there was one friend there to save her from perpetual darkness, Dino. The Venusaur rubbed his head against hers and marched onto the bridge to confront whatever monster emerged from the black shroud along with Bill's horde and the trainer's hundreds of Pokemon. The possession had fully broken and it was an army of warriors against a lone Pokemon.

From the shroud emerged a Pokemon larger and bulkier than the previous Mewtwo. His eyes were a crimson red and the horns atop his skull had extended and turned into points. Purple armour now covered his chest and gray armour all his joints and limbs.

"Once more!" Misty screamed. "Bill. One more push!" She sounded full of hope, spirit and vigour.

But all Leaf could do was watch.

Mega-Mewtwo turned to Bill's horde, held out a hand, then twisted it. All of Bill's Pokemon collapsed instantly as the life went from them. They had no bond to Bill and the man himself was a poor trainer. But Leaf had still never seen anything with enough power to eliminate over forty Pokemon just with a flick of the hand.

Mega-Mewtwo looked to Bill now and performed the same trick on the scientist. The young man collapsed as the life was choked from him. He died slower than the Pokemon, but still the power of the creature was horrifying.

Gasps of shock resounded through the crowd of trainers. All hope had vanished and many began to recall their Pokemon and sprint for safety outside of the city despite Misty's rallying cries. By the time the Mega-Mewtwo turned to face his opponents, only around fifty of them remained.

"Charge!" Misty cried and the feral creature at the end of Nugget Bridge saw her as their commander. He held out a hand as fifty Pokemon charged him and twisted it. Misty squealed. She held her hands to her head and screamed a wail of agony. Then she collapsed.

More trainers ran, most ignoring their Pokemon and leaving them for dead as the Mega-Mewtwo set about his work. He blasted a psychic energy beam towards the bridge which exploded with such impact it nearly destroyed the wooden walkway. Six highly-trained Pokemon fell to the attack. After another beam, seven more followed.

Dino unleashed leaves and vines and gathered energy from the fires to unleash a solar beam but the attacks bounced off the Mega-Mewtwo as if they were specks of dust. As did any other strike against the mighty creature.

Leaf was stuck in two minds. She wanted to recall Dino and run, to sprint to Johto or back to Hoenn and avoid this unstoppable beast. But she knew if she did so then none would ever stop the creature. Mega-Mewtwo would crush the world and kill everyone and everything in its path.

More Pokemon fell either to beams, mind attacks or simple flicks of the Mega-Mewtwo's wrists. Dino resisted any piercing efforts into his mind out of his love for Leaf and stood his ground against any strikes against him but still the Venusaur was being slowly pushed back until he remained on the bridge with just five other fighters.

Leaf looked around her to see three remaining trainers. The others had other fled or retreated after their Pokemon had fallen. She recognised all three.

"Nice to meet again," Blaine said to her. He was the man she met on Cinnabar Island who had informed her of the Mewtwo's backstory. "I worked it all out and gathered the most powerful trainers in the region to fight this fight," he said. "But we were too late and too weak."

"You've come far since we last met," Brock added, the mayor of Pewter City who had been her matchup in round two of the tournament.

"And made me proud," Koga said. "I believe you have defeated Team Rocket. For that I am deeply grateful. Because I was able to see my daughter, Janine, for one last time."

Koga's Weezing fell to a mind attack after resisting a flick of the Mega-Mewtwo's hand. The bond between Pokemon and trainer was strong enough for him to resist the initial strike but the monstrous creature was too powerful to resist.

"How can we stop it?" Brock asked as his Golem was decimated by a psychic beam of energy.

"We can't," Blaine said. "We can only hold it back until someone thinks of a way."

"We aren't holding it back?" Koga said. "We are like four planks of wood trying to hold back a hurricane!"

"We can't stop fighting," Leaf said through gritted teeth. "No matter what."

"Agreed," all three former Gym Leaders said in unison as Blaine's Ninetales fell to a psychic beam of energy. Only his Arcanine, Koga's Muk and Dino remained.

"We advance," Koga said bravely.

"What?!" Brock said, the panic in his voice clear.

"We stand side by side with our Pokemon as they fall," he replied and Brock looked back with his mouth gaping as if to say he had no remaining Pokemon.

"What if the creature won't attack something that isn't attacking it?" Blaine suggested. "If we approach it with hands held up as if we surrender."

"And then what?" Brock said.

"I get the Megastone off Lyra," Leaf cut in just as Koga's Muk fell to a mind attack. Only Arcanine and Dino remained. Both Pokemon pummeled the Mega-Mewtwo with constant attacks of solar energy and flamethrowers but still each strike limply bounced off of the creature to no effect.

The four trainers marched in line. Blaine and Koga appeared calm but sweat dripped off of Brock in waves. Leaf, to her surprise, felt at peace for the first time in her life. Her task was clear as if she stared her destiny in the face. Flames from the city behind them licked up and reached to touch the sky and their roars must've been heard miles away. Growls from Arcanine and Dino were matched by the grunts from the Mega-Mewtwo who struggled to destroy his two remaining opponents. He flicked his wrist but both resisted and then both held their ground against his psychic energy beams. The Arcanine soon collapsed under the weight of a mind attack.

"Dino," Leaf called out to her Venusaur as she approached him. "Stand down." Her Pokemon gave her a quizzical look as the four trainers joined him.

"We surrender," Blaine called out and held his hands up to show the Mega-Mewtwo he meant no harm. The creature simply looked bemused.

"Leaf," Koga began. "Jump into the river, swim over and grab that stone. You're our only hope."

"We-" Blaine went to say again before the Mega-Mewtwo cut him off. He twisted a hand and the elderly man went silent as he clutched his throat and choked. His life left him.

"Run!" Brock screamed and sprinted back down the bridge but the Mega-Mewtwo simply unleashed a beam of psychic energy towards the mayor of Pewter that evaporated him within its midst.

"I thank you Leaf," Koga said and knew he was next. "For allowing me to see my daughter one last time." He spread his arms out and the Mega-Mewtwo responded with a flick of his wrist and Koga collapsed as well as his life was stolen from him.

Leaf stood side by side with Dino. She looked to the river and nodded to her Venusaur. Her favourite Pokemon and eldest friend nodded back. He would make the sacrifice. He would block her sprint to the river where she would dive off the side of the bridge and claim the Megastone. What she would do with it she didn't yet know, but it was her last hope.

"Leaf!" Lyra screamed and suddenly sprinted from the bushes she had hidden within. "Wait Mewtwo! Don't kill her!" It was as if her mother had suddenly snapped back to sanity when she realised her daughter was next on the killing list. But it was too late. Leaf was frozen in place by her mother's calls and the Mega-Mewtwo unleashed a beam of psychic energy towards her.

She spread her arms as Koga did to welcome the strike, then closed her eyes. She heard a primal roar but felt no pain. She opened her eyes. Dino had thrown himself into the beam to save her life. Now was her chance as her Venusaur perished.

She went to move but found herself frozen in place. The tearing agony of a bond severed ripped through her as it had before but this time it was different. Where before she had felt the pain stronger than most because of her deep bonds with each and every Pokemon, now the agony was apoplectic. Because Dino hadn't just been her Pokemon, he had been her greatest friend. He had been the one who had kept her grounded and saved her from despair on countless occasions. Now the Venusaur collapsed to the ground as the life was robbed from him.

She remembered back to Viridian Forest where she faced the Metal Monster and Dino had leaped from the trees at the vital moment to save her. She remembered whenever she felt herself in peril that Dino would remain by her side and refuse to let her be defeated. Whenever she felt like despair had claimed her, he had been there to stop it. Now he was gone.

"Now," she said through gritted teeth and clenched body shook violently and tears rolled down her face uncontrollably. "Now is the time for the final sacrifice."

"Leaf!" Lyra screamed and sprinted towards the Mega-Mewtwo.

But her daughter was already walking. The Mega-Mewtwo grinned savagely at her attempts to approach him and held out a hand ready to twist. Memories flashed through Leaf's mind as her life replayed before her. From a fragile soul seeking her parent's love to a seeker of adventure when she ventured to Hoenn and met Erik, Wally and later Blue. She remembered the faces of all she had lost and those she had loved and seen killed. She thought of Okaido and wished him luck in ruling the region. Then she smiled. Because when the Mewtwo twisted his hand her world turned black and she had finally found her peace. She knew what would happen next, her mother would be prompted to destroy the Mega-Mewtwo out of anguish. Leaf had done it, she had saved the region. She had been the final sacrifice.

The first flicker of dawn came as the horizon reddened. Okaido failed to tell where the clouds ended and the pillars of smoke began as he attempted to steer his Charizard towards Cerulean City sightless. He heard the roars of fires amidst screams and cries of terror as the smell of smoke caused him to cough and splutter.

"Descend!" he informed his Pokemon and held on as his Charizard dove towards the chaos below. He used the smoke as a marker as to where he should land, where the clouds were thickest, there he would find Cerulean and the main battlefield. His Charizard plowed through smoke as Okaido clung on for his life and closed his eyes as the woodsmoke stung them. He coughed and spluttered once more and felt as if the suffocating grey would never end.

Then he felt the smoke clear so he opened his eyes and wished he hadn't. The sight below caused him to nearly scream and fall off his Charizard. Because Leaf was dead.

He hovered above Nugget Bridge where the Mega-Mewtwo switched his gaze to Okaido and hold up a hand ready to twist. He went to speak a command for his Charizard to fight back and destroy the creature but the words caught in his mouth. He looked to Leaf who lay lifeless on the bridge. The Mega-Mewtwo had killed her.

A primal scream of agony shrieked through the skies, but not from Okaido nor his Charizard. Instead, it came from behind the Mega-Mewtwo. Lyra had charged towards the powerful creature by herself, overcome with fury and sorrow at seeing her only child fall to the monster. The Mega-Mewtwo had turned to face her as she came within a few feet of himself, then unleashed a beam of psychic energy.

Lyra held up his Megastone in her defence. The unstoppable force met the immovable object, causing an explosion of blackness encompassed the Mega-Mewtwo, the Megastone and Lyra. The dark shroud that engulfed woman, creature and stone suffocated the life from all three. Okaido hovered above the scene and watched in silence as tears rolled down his cheeks. When the blackness receded all three had vanished, the darkness had consumed all.

"If only I'd come sooner," Okaido whimpered and looked to Leaf. He motioned to his Charizard to land and dismounted his Pokemon to walk weakly to Leaf's side. "Leaf…" he began and tried to speak through his sobs. "Gabby and Ty made it easy for us to remove Archer. With the support of the Champion and Professor Oak the region rallied against him whilst you fought this horrific fight. The government of Kanto is reforming. My Gramps will be our new mayor and I will support him as Champion. We did it Leaf," he said through his sobs. "We saved Kanto."

Okaido collapsed to his knees and thought back on his own journey and all they had sacrificed. He thought back to the SS. Anne where he lost his Raticate and Wally lost his Pikachu. Where Archie fell along with a couple of Leaf's Pokemon. He thought back to his own journey, he was Pokemon Champion of Kanto now but at what cost. The people loved him, they respected and worshipped him. He was a hero to them and he thought that was all he ever wanted. But now he looked at the fallen Leaf and remembered Wally and felt empty. As if what he wanted all along wasn't to be loved, but to belong. And in the Resistance he had belonged. But they were gone now, all of them, even his real father, Giovanni. The man who had caused so much pain and suffering.

Then his thoughts went to Erik, the original leader of the Resistance and the man that had recruited him. He had said he'd never return to Kanto if the Resistance left him alone and they had held up their end of the bargain. Okaido wondered what would happen to him and the remnants of Team Rocket now. Then he remembered his half-brother Silver, the scarred man who was so broken and empty that he almost felt pity for Giovanni's other son. The locations of both Erik and Silver were a mystery to him but he had more important things to consider. Leaf had saved Kanto and he had united it but the region still needed to heal. He and his grandfather had their work cut out but for the memories of Leaf, Wally and everyone else, they had no choice but to prevail.

As Okaido clambered back to his feet he realised he must've been sat soul-searching for a long time because the sun had begun to pierce through the clouds and cast light on a scorched and charred Cerulean City behind him. A ruined city now marked a wounded region.

Okaido remounted his Charizard and signaled for his Pokemon to fly him back to Pallet Town where together with Professor Oak they would restabilize Kanto. This would be the end of his story, he knew. No more fighting, just healing.

* * *

He climbed the final step of the gargantuan mountain. The top of was flat enough for him to walk across and from the vantage point he could see the entirety of Kanto below him. But Kanto didn't matter anymore. On the other side of the colossal natural structure lay Johto which he now turned to face alongside the man he had once considered an enemy.

"Johto awaits," the once-enemy spoke, his voice fractured and dark.

"Where I'm sure we shall do battle once again," Silver agreed and Erik allowed a chortle of laughter.

"What is your purpose now. What do you fight for?" Erik asked him.

"I see what my brother, Okaido, has done," Silver began. The sound of his voice resounded through the air as his mechanical mask twisted and distorted it. "He threw away the shackles of kinship and became his own man. He righted some of my father's wrongs and redeemed himself to this world."

"And you wish to do the same?" Erik said.

"I just wish to amend some of my sins," Silver said and sighed. "But I don't even know where to start."

"Join me," Erik replied. "We shall conquer Johto as a starting point and cleanse this world of its tragedies."

"Your way is war, terror and forcing your will on people," Silver said, not harshly. "Your way is Team Rocket."

"And what is your way?" Erik asked.

"Johto is a bastion of ill. Even more chaotic than Kanto with disaster seeping from its every pore," Silver said. "The current rulership is inept. Lord Raven will be gathering his forces to retake the forsaken land and you will be trying to destroy it."

"So which side will you choose if not mine?"

"My own side," Silver growled. "I'm done being under the thumb of those who think they are greater than me."

"So I ask you again," Erik said patiently. "What is your purpose?"

"To find my redemption," Silver grunted. "And it starts with a simple act." He moved his hands to his face where he placed his thumbs underneath the mechanical mask and lifted it. It was hard work at first, he hadn't removed the mask in years, but slowly the facepiece lifted. He tossed it from the mountain and watched it bounce off the sides as it tumbled back into fresh air sting his burned, scarred face.

"How does it feel?" Erik asked.

"Liberating," Silver answered and winced as the cold singed him.

"I guess this means we are at war then," Erik said.

"Indeed. I shall battle your mystical powers with all my might," Silver responded. "How about I let you get a little head start though?" he said and grinned. His mechanical mask disallowed him from forming any sort of smile so to do it for the first time in years almost hurt his face.

Erik smiled in reply then released a Charizard of his own. This one was different however, it had been permanently Mega-evolved and responded without question to Erik's commands. Whilst a normal Charizard had skin of orange, the Mega version's was pure black and its cream belly and underwings had turned from cream to sky blue. Its eyes were red and the flame on the tip of its tail was also light blue.

Erik mounted the Pokemon who flapped its wings and powerfully lifted itself from the mountain. With a wave goodbye and a promise of war, Erik left for Johto.

"My redemption," Silver said to himself. "Sounds idiotic," he said then chuckled and watched Erik disappear into the distance. He suddenly heard a scuffle of movement behind him so spun on his heel but it was too late. The agony came before the realisation as he heard a loud thud and felt a sharp sensation of pain on his head. The world went black and he collapsed on the ground where he faded in and out of consciousness.

"Damn we just missed the other one," a shrill female voice said.

"The boss wanted both Silver and that other guy that was with him, right?" a male voice added.

"Ah just take this one to base. Throw him in a prison cell and let him rot for the rest of his days," the female answered.

Silver faded out of consciousness for a final time before he could hear the reply and was carted away to a destination unknown by those whose identities were a mystery. For now.

 _The Challenger trilogy will be concluded in book three, "Silver's Redemption". Estimated first chapter release of Summer 2018._


End file.
